Naruto: Way of the Orphan
by zenith020388
Summary: Orphan. Outcast. Demon. Three names for one person. The Kyuubi's manifestation is surprising in it's form, but no less powerful... FemNaru Shino
1. A Flight Through the Dark

**Prologue: A Flight Through the Dark...**

"So they finally tortured him into running, lucky me…"

Trees rustled as the figure blew past them, kicking up dust and fallen leaves in his wake. He was practically growling through his half facemask, the night air turning his breath into visible puffs of vapour. He skidded to a halt at a fork in the path, sniffing deeply to recover the scent trail he was following. He was having difficulties following it at full speed, seeing how it blended in strangely well with the surrounding forest.

"Damnit, where are you kid?"

He sped off into the night, following the barely noticeable trail of his pint-sized target.

* * *

Said target was miles ahead of his pursuer, owing largely to the nearly 24 hour headstart he'd had. He stumbled along on a path that ran deep into the forest, tripping over roots and rocks in his panicked state. His stunningly blue eyes were red and raw from tears, his wild blonde hair matted to his head with sweat and he wheezed from fatigue as he ran, half-blind, through the woods. He'd been running for what seemed to be an eternity to his five year old body, but he dared not stop, for fear of what might happen to him.

The matron at the orphanage had mistreated him for as long as he could remember, hitting him and scolding him for things he didn't think were that bad. She beat that notion out of him fairly early on, turning him from a happy child into a weepy, insecure shadow of who he should have been.

One of the other boys had broken the matron's favourite lamp, and when she found it, he blamed it on the child, causing the matron to shriek for his blood. She'd threatened many thing in the few minutes she searched for him while he hid from her, quaking in terror. She'd even threatened to hire a shinobi to "Put him out of everyone's misery". This fact was not helped by the fact that a Konoha shinobi showed up at the orphanage house only minutes after said threat, the final straw that caused the boy to break and run, unaware that the shinobi was merely dropping off the monthly funds for the orphanage.

That had been yesterday, the ninth of October. Today was the tenth, ironically the boy's birthday. His presence was only missed when the elderly Sandaime Hokage had come to wish him a happy birthday, and he was nowhere to be found. Even the ANBU who was assigned to watch over the boy was astounded, he hadn't even seen the boy leave the house.

And now here he was, fleeing for his life from an enemy that he never expected to face. The shinobi of Konoha. He ran as fast as his weary legs could take him. He rounded a sharp curve in the path, when suddenly his right foot didn't find anything to step on, having stepped into a small sinkhole in the forest floor. The boy cried out as he fell forward, before the impact of his head on a rock silenced him abruptly, the world around him fading to black. The last thing he heard before total unconciousness was a sound like rushing water, and what sounded like distinctly feminine whimpering…

* * *

The man smirked to himself. _The scent's getting stronger, I must be close. _He laughed quietly to himself. _Don't worry, Kyuubi brat. I'm coming to make it all go away… You'll pay for killing my sensei…_ He'd never even seen the kid before, due to the huge amount of missions he'd taken on in the last five years. He'd worked constantly, trying to atone for not being able to help his teacher during the attack. He'd denied. He'd bargained. He'd pleaded. And now he was on the last step of the program: Acceptance and Retribution…

He rounded a sharp curve in the path and came to a skidding halt. There, sitting on the road was his target. But it was not the target he was expecting. The shaking form of a five year old girl sat, hugging her knees to her chest, frightened tears welling up in her familiar blue eyes… Her long blonde hair was distinctly messy and caked with mud and blood. Her right ankle was red and swollen, indicating that it was broken. She stared up at the stunned form of the man in from of her, recognition dawning striking his face like a thunderbolt.

"K… Kazama…" He whispered in amazement, scarcely believing his eye.

The girl hugged herself tighter as her shaking intensified. "P-please don't k-kill me… I didn't break it, I swear!" She whimpered, her tears flowing freely now.

"I…" Kakashi's brain felt like it had gone through a blender set on liquefy. "I'm here to… Take you home… Naruto."

* * *

And here I go, the start of another story, with another (hopefully) provocative short prologue. This is my somewhat serious Naruto fic that I've written out in my profile, and will be my side project for when **The Greatest Good** gives me mental constipation. As with any fic, constructive criticism is welcome, and reviews are greatly appreciated. Ja Ne, everyone! -E. Red 


	2. Strange Changes

**Chapter 1: Strange Changes**

There was a lot of staring going on in the office of the Hokage. It was well past midnight when the 'package' had arrived home, and now there was staring…

The Sandaime Hokage, 'The Professor' Sarutobi, stared in shock. Hatake Kakashi, the ex-ANBU 'Copy ninja', stared in confusion. Uzumaki Naruto, last scion of the Kazama family and container for the Kyuubi no Yoko, stared in unabated terror.

"You _found_ him like this?" The Sandaime asked incredulously, his face the picture of confusion. He stared at the quivering girl he was presented with in complete dismay. "What the hell happened?"

Kakashi flinched, not used to hearing the old man cuss. "I have no idea, sir. That's something you'll have to get out of her… Err… Him?" He'd been shaken to the core when he'd realized that his sensei had sealed the Kyuubi into his own child, and was somewhat distressed at not being informed. He unconsciously threw out all of his feelings when that little revelation hit him, and had stayed by the side of the terrified… Girl? _Gah! Now I'm mixing pronouns!_

The elderly Hokage slumped in his chair, idly puffing on his pipe. The night air seemed to make the old man seem far older than he truly was. "How to do it, though…?" He sat in silence for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he regarded the quaking child. She… _He_ was staring back from his half-hidden position, clamped onto Kakashi's leg. He leaned forward, and the she… he… _Naruto_ (Dammit!) flinched, trying to shift further behind Kakashi. "What to do, what to do…?" He said softly.

"ITWASNTMEITWAS YOJIROISWEARPLEASEDONTKILLME!" Naruto shouted, his fear coming to the forefront at last. He began to cry again, pitiful sobs wracking his altered form.

Kakashi and Sarutobi both blinked. "What?" They said in unison.

"T-the matron, she- she said she was gonna c-call a n-ninja to g-get rid of me…" The (by all practical accounts) terrified little girl buried her face into Kakashi's pants, hugging his leg for all it was worth. "I-I didn't even break the lamp…"

Kakashi blinked, trying to piece together the broken bits of information he'd just taken in. He smiled sadly behind his mask, understanding finally rearing its head. He kneeled down on the knee that wasn't currently occupied and wrapped his arms around the distraught child. "Nobody's going to hurt you, Naruto."

Naruto looked up at him, scared to believe. "You promise?" She (for all intents and purposes) said in a tiny voice, sniffling.

"I promise. You're safe now…" Naruto clung to him tighter, but noticeably stopped shaking.

Meanwhile, the Hokage's eyes suddenly flashed with angry fire as he reached out to yank on the bell pull, summoning his two personal chuunin attendants into the room with a small puff of smoke. "Bring me Morino Ibiki and Yuuhi Kurenai, NOW!"

Both men started visibly at the force of the command, but quickly righted themselves, throwing sharp salutes and responding with a "Hai, Hokage- Sama!" before poofing out of sight again.

It was only a few minutes later that two winded figures ran into the room, one only seconds behind the other. Ibiki's hulking frame stabilized after a few deep breaths, while Kurenai wheezed for several more seconds. "Reporting as ordered, Hokage- Sama."

The Hokage regarded them for a brief moment before speaking. "Ibiki, I want you to go and spend some quality time with Ms. Aoma Haruka of the Western orphanage. Talk to her about Naruto." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "_Everything_ you can get, please, without me having to sign anything."

Ibiki nodded, interpreting the orders as: Interrogate Ms. So and so, psychological tactics only. He turned on his heel and left immediately.

"Kurenai." The Professor said, his voice radiating forced calmness. "Naruto here has had… An experience. One that he can't remember, for one reason or another. Would you be so kind as to help with that?"

Kurenai was stunned at the name, knowing only of one Naruto in the village, but it was certainly not the young girl who was clinging onto Kakashi's chest, staring at her like she expected the jounin to lash out at any minute… They did look very similar, though… She decided it was better to ask questions later, noting the clear agitation in the eyes of their village's leader.

She knelt down, looking the girl straight in the eyes while making hand seals at a rapid pace. The girl flinched and tried to move away, but Kakashi gave her a light squeeze. He nodded to her as she looked up into his face, telling her "It's okay. She's here to help…"

Kurenai finished her hand seals, looking deep into the blue eyes of her "target" and whispering "Ninpo: Inner Eyes Jutsu…"

Kurenai's eyes went blank, as did Naruto's. The Hokage watched them for a moment, impressed once again by Kurenai's incredible Genjutsu skills. The jutsu she'd used was originally intended to link the users conscious mind to the target's subconscious, allowing the user to alter the base thought patterns of an individual. However, halfway through the development, one of the developers found another use for it: subconscious therapy. The ability to cure certain fears, or read repressed memories.

His thought process was interrupted by a sharp gasp from Kurenai as she released the jutsu, causing Naruto to slump to the floor, unconscious. Horrified tears sprang into the "Ice Queen" Kurenai's eyes as she stared at the girl in front of her.

"What is it? What did you see?" Sarutobi asked anxiously, startled by her reaction.

"E-everything, Hokage- Sama." She stammered, still trying to calm herself. "The demon is awake. It showed me every moment of Naruto's life, from his birth to today. It... It is disgusted with us. With our village..." She looked up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Naruto's current condition is due to the activation of the seal. It caused a small portion of Kyuubi's soul to fuse with Naruto's, granting him a small amount of all the demon's powers." She stood up, regaining her composure. "Apparently he unconsciously used the Kyuubi's shape shifting ability to turn himself into the least threatening thing he could think of, to try and escape danger."

Sarutobi sat down in shock. "Why did the seal activate now? It's not supposed to do that until he hits puberty…"

Kakashi looked up. "My guess is that, given the state he was in when I found him, he truly believed his life was in danger at the time, and when he hit his head on the rock, it forced the seal to react as if he were in life-threatening danger."

Kurenai nodded. "That was the demon's guess, as well, Hokage –Sama. He won't be able to change back until he improves his chakra control enough to do so, or if he taps into it unknowingly again."

They sat in silence for a while, watching as the Jinchuriki slept. Kakashi was about to speak, but Kurenai beat him to it.

"Hokage –Sama, we can't possibly send this child back to an orphanage after what he's been through. He's experienced enough psychological trauma as it is."

The professor smiled inwardly. "And what other option is there?"

"I'll take him." Kakashi and Kurenai said simultaneously.

"You can't take him, Kakashi –San. You go on too many out of town missions." Kurenai said quickly.

"You won't be able to provide for yourself and him, along with the other girl you adopted recently." Kakashi countered.

"You have no experience with children, Kakashi, and would make a terrible parent."

"You don't know anything about his family. You can't tell him about his parents!"

"Oh and you can?"

"Damn right I can! His father was my sensei!"

The Sandaime pinched the brow of his nose, fighting off the impending migraine with all the strength he could muster. Kurenai stared at him, her eyes wide with astonishment. "He's the son of the Yond-"

"Enough!" Sarutobi yelled, startling both of them. "Seeing as how you both already argue like you are married, you both will take care of him." They stared at him, not believing what they were hearing. "You'll both be put in charge of raising him from now on. That way, there can always be one of you in the village, if the other needs to be sent away. You'll be moved into a new house immediately, and you will raise this child to the best of your ability. This is not a request. Am I understood?"

Kakashi and Kurenai nodded dumbly. "Hai, Hokage –Sama."

"Good. Now I suggest you go get packed immediately. Leave Naruto here. You're dismissed."

* * *

Kurenai knocked lightly on the bedroom door, and was rewarded with a small groan, and the rustling of sheets. A small head poked out the door a minute later. "What's going on, Kurenai- neechan?"

"It's nothing bad, Ten –chan." She smiled at the nickname. "We're going to move into a bigger house today, that's all. And you're getting a…" She paused, trying to think of the right pronoun to use. "…Sibling, as well."

Tenten blinked. "Sibling?"

"A… Err… Sister."

Her face immediately lit up. "A sister! Really?" Kurenai smiled at her expression, nodding. The ecstatic little girl let out a squeal of delight, leaping at Kurenai and tackling her into a huge hug.

"Woah, easy girl!" Kurenai laughed. "Now get packed up, we've got to go immediately."

"Right away? Why?"

"It's a secret, Ten- chan." Kurenai said, winking at her. "Now pack up as much as you want to take. We've only got a few minutes, so hurry."

She received a small "Hai!" as Tenten ran back into her room. Kurenai, being of humble tastes, had very little to pack for herself, only a few paintings and books besides her clothes. Tenten came out of her room after a few minutes dragging a large trunk behind her.

"Did you get everything you needed?" Tenten nodded in response. "Well than, leave that by the door, and let's go meet your new… Sister."

* * *

Hello, Readers!I find it amazing that this story has generated far more buzz than my main/first one did, but I guess with experience comes… well, something or other. I hope all of you who were confused by the prologue have been satisfied with this chapter. There'll be even more background information in the next chapter, so stay tuned!

-E. Red XP

(Note: This chapter was posted faster than it should have been, due to the general confusion of the readers. I expect, at best, I may be able to get out a chapter a week. At **_very_** best…)


	3. New Beginnings

**Chapter 2: New Beginnings**

Naruto rubbed his head as he slowly woke up. He felt like someone had been pounding on the inside of his face with a hammer. Groaning, he sat up, pausing to brush a long blonde hair out of his eyes. He looked around the strange room… _Hang on. My hair is short…_ He grabbed a handful of it, his eyes widening in shock. "What the-" His eyes widened a little more as he realized how wrong his voice sounded. The events of the last few days rushed back into his mind. _That's right… I'm a girl now…_

Tears once again sprang into his eyes at the thought. "I really am a freak…"

"No, you're not."

Naruto jumped at the voice, startled. Sitting in the corner was a woman, partially obscured by shadows, her legs crossed and her hands clasped around her knees. She stood up as Naruto noticed her, stepping out into the moonlight that was streaming in through the window. She was dressed in a strange, toga-like wrapping garment, and wore a red sleeve down one arm, the other bare. She had long brown hair, and she wore a soft expression on her face, her ruby red eyes sparkling in the evening light. Naruto vaguely recognised her from the meeting with the Hokage.

"You're not a freak." She said as she sat on the end of the bed, pausing as Naruto flinched away from her. "I wouldn't have adopted you if you were…"

The transformed boy stared at her, dumbstruck. "Y-you… You adopted… Me?"

The woman nodded, beckoning him closer. He crawled to the edge of the bed, letting his legs hang off the side. "Why… Why me? No one else would…"

The woman placed her hand gently on Naruto's arm. "Well, they were crazy not to."

Naruto looked up into her eyes, hope appearing in them for the first time in years. Words couldn't begin to describe the thoughts that chased themselves through his confused mind in that instant. But that hope flickered slightly as the seeds of doubt began to grow in his mind. Tears welled up in his eyes once again, and he was only vaguely aware that he was being hugged...

* * *

Kurenai looked in wonder at the transformed girl. _The kid has had it rough, but I never expected such a reaction from a few simple words of encouragement…_ (She thought they were encouraging...) She wrapped her arms around the crying girl, embracing her gently.

They sat like that for a few minutes before the girl started to pull away wiping her eyes. "I-I'm not really a girl, you know…"

Kurenai nodded. "I realize that, Naruto, but there are a few… Issues we need to discuss." She smiled slightly. "You may not have been a girl for the last five years, but for all practical purposes, you are one now. But it's not permanent." She said quickly, noticing how her face fell at the thought of being stuck as a girl. "You tapped into a… Hidden power of yours without meaning to. It is what caused the change, and, given enough time and practice, you'll eventually be able to control it, and change back into your normal form, and perhaps even other forms. But until you manage to do so, you'll have to learn to live, behave and generally act like a girl."

Naruto gaped at her, and she fought back a laugh. "It's really not that bad, Naru-chan. I never had any problems with it." This time she did laugh at the face she made, but only a little.

"Why'd you call me that?" She asked, confused, and still visibly upset.

"Because, until you manage to change yourself back, you'll need a new identity as a cover story."

Naruto crossed her arms, the confused look only getting worse. "Ano, what's a cover story?"

Kurenai sighed. "It's a made up story that you use to keep who you really are a secret. It's like a pretend life, in a way."

She nodded sadly, seeming to get more and more agitated as the conversation continued. "Ano, so I have to pretend to be a real girl until I figure out how to do this body-changing thing?"

Kurenai nodded again. "I'll be here to help you through most of the hard parts, so you don't need to worry too much. So from now on, your name is…" She paused, internally questioning the thinking behind the Hokage's choice, but she shrugged it off. "Kazama Naru."

"What's a Kazama?" She asked, yawning slightly through her distress.

Kurenai scratched the back of her head nervously. "You'll have to talk to Hokage-Sama about that one, Naru-chan. It's his choice to tell you, not mine." Naru put on another pouting face, but let the issue slide. "Now, tomorrow you and I are going shopping, so I'd suggest you get some sleep."

She gently ushered the girl back into bed, tucking the covers in as she did. She paused for a second, then bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead with out another thought. She walked to the door silently, pausing once again in the doorway. "Goodnight, Naru-chan. And Happy Birthday…"

But Naru was already asleep.

* * *

Kakashi looked up from his book as Kurenai came down the hallway. "How is he?"

Kurenai glared at him. "_She_ is fine, Kakashi. Or at least, she seemed fine..."

"Yeah… Right… She…" He idly turned back to his book, tuning out. That is, until the book suddenly wasn't in his hands. "_Hey!_"

"First, you need to stick to the cover story, which means referring to Naruto as female, _all_ the time." Kurenai said coolly, her glare hardening even more. "Second, I won't have you poisoning the minds of those two innocent girls with your… Smutty…" She trailed off, staring at the book she held in her hand. "What the hell…?"

She flipped the book closed, peeling off the fake cover. "Advanced Medical Ninjutsu for DUMMIES(tm)?" She stared from the book to Kakashi, who (from what little she could see, at least) appeared to be blushing. "What…?"

"Err, ever heard of 'underneath the underneath'?" Kurenai continued to stare. "Alright, look. I get that book for free every time Jiraiya- Sama writes a new one. He thinks I love them, because he writes them, and he trained Arashi-Sama. I read them once, in case he questions me about them, and then use the covers to… Well, mislead people. You happy with that explaination?"

"I… Wha?"

Kakashi sighed. "Forget about it. How is she, really?"

Kurenai blinked, shaking her head as if to clear away the last few minutes of conversation. "She's still obviously upset. I told her what she needed to hear, and she's asleep now." She flopped onto a window bench, staring out into the evening lights of the village. "It makes me sick to think of how she was treated by the people of this village."

"Keep in mind that she was a he when all that happened." Kakashi interjected, earning himself another glare. "Hey, I'm not being sexist! It's just, well, most people are more forgiving of a cute little girl than they are of a dirty little boy."

Kurenai huffed. "I suppose. But no child should have to go through with that kind of crap, especially for something they had no control over. "

Kakashi smiled sadly to himself. "Reminds me of Anko… Both persecuted for things they had no control over. Both orphaned at a young age. But she turned out okay on her own. Well, after the whole Orochimaru thing…"

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at him. "You're kidding, right? She's crazier than Gai."

He shuddered at that, and Kurenai supressed a grin. "I don't think that's possible, in anyone's interpretation of the word…"

"Whatever." She said, stretching as she stood up. "I'm going to bed. I've got things to do tomorrow, with both of my girls…" She smiled inwardly, feeling that familiar warmth she always felt when Tenten 'accidentally' called her Kaasan.

"Sure…" Kakashi said, catching the book that was flipped back at him negligently. He watched as she moved down the hall and into her room, smiling slightly to himself. _She's really enjoying this. She's just too extroverted to show it…_

He waited until he heard her door close before getting up. Walking outside, he sat on the porch of his new 'home', staring off into space vacantly. The Hokage had been most adamant about the choice of venue, and Kakashi felt very uncomfortable with it. Certainly, the home of the Yondaime was an appropriate place for his heir to be raised, but giving her his last name and putting her in his old home was like lighting up a huge neon sign that said "Heir to the Yellow Flash! Kill me!".

If anything, the Yondaime had even more humble tastes than Kurenai did, living in a small, four bedroom house, tucked into an unobtrusive corner of a small district, neighbouring the Aburame clan compound. It was a single level home, with an average sized kitchen, dining room and den, but the property was huge, the front half of it a gravel courtyard, while the rear half was untamed forest, with the house separating the two.

Kakashi frowned slightly, mentally kicking himself. He hadn't forgiven himself for wanting to kill Naruto on sight, and being in the home of his deceased sensei wasn't helping his conscience any, either. _I swear it to you, Arashi-sensei. I WILL protect your child, with everything I have. I swear it…

* * *

_

Tenten tiptoed out of her new room, making as little noise as possible. It was still early in the morning, and Kurenai hated being woken up early. Gently sliding open the door to the room next to hers, she cautiously peered inside. The room was sparcely furnished, a bed, a dresser and a set of empty shelves being the only things inside. Besides the sleeping figure on the bed…

Tenten could hardly contain her excitement. She had a sister! Sliding the door closed again, she had to restrain herself to keep from skipping down the hall, into the kitchen, where she bumped into something and landed unceremoniously on her butt with an "Oof."

"Can I help you, little girl?" A voice asked in a sarcastic, but friendly voice.

She glared up at the man, who she'd been introduced to yesterday at lunchtime. "I'm not a little girl, Kakashi-san." She said huffily, standing up and crossing her arms. "I'm seven years old, you know."

Kakashi 'smiled' at her, mussing up her short brown hair with one hand. "If you say so, chibi."

Tenten smacked his hand away, annoyed. "'M not a chibi…" She muttered, stalking off towards the fridge as Kakashi walked off, laughing quietly.

She was halfway through her breakfast (cold rice and melon slices) before she was interrupted again. A small blonde head poked around the corner of the kitchen, a pair of wide blue eyes looking across the room at her. The figure disappeared when Tenten looked up, and she smiled widely, all of her excitement coming to a point in an instant. Wordlessly, she stood up, taking another bowl of rice out of the fridge and cutting a few more melon slices, placing them on the table across from her before returning to her meal.

The head reappeared again, slower this time, and followed shortly by a torso and appendages. The girl was slightly smaller then Tenten, her small frame appearing far smaller than it was due to the boy's teeshirt and pants se was wearing. She shuffled to the table awkwardly, blushing a little and trying to avoid eye contact. She sat down at the place Tenten had 'set' for her, staring at the food she'd put out. The pair sat in an awkward silence, neither quite sure of what to make of the other. Tenten was about to say something, feeling somewhat annoyed at being treated so… Well, blankly. But she was interrupted by a tiny, wavering voice from across the table.

"Thank you…"

Tenten looked up from her bowl in surprise. The girl was still staring down at the table, but Tenten could tell that she was close to tears. Something deep inside her stirred, and she felt an immense swell of empathy for the younger girl. She stood, stepping around the table towards her. She stopped when the blonde flinched away from her, noticing for the first time that she was shaking like a leaf.

"No… Problem…" Tenten said apprehensively, unsure of how to react. "Hey, are you alright?"

There was a small pause, and then…

"You don't have to be nice to me if you don't want to… You don't have to pretend to care… Not like the lady last night was faking…"

Tenten blinked, shaking her head in disbelief. "What?"

"I know you're only here because the Hokage said you had to, so you don't need to pretend…"

Tenten was at a loss for words. "Why would you think such a horrible thing?"

The blonde girl pulled her knees in closer to her chest, still shaking with emotion. "Nobody ever cared about me before… W-why would you be any -sniff- different…?"

She was clearly crying now, and Tenten was starting to panic, afraid that she'd screwed it up already. She started forward, hesitating only briefly as the upset girl flinched away from her once again, but she pressed on, undeterred.

She could feel every shake of the smaller girl's body as she wrapped her arms gently around her shoulders, pressing her chin ever so gently into the crook of her neck. "I don't know who made you like this, but you don't need to be scared anymore." She could feel hot tears dripping onto her forearms, and she gave a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry if I made you feel bad… I… I've never had a sibling before, so I'm not good at this yet…"

" -Sniff- S-sibling?"

Tenten smiled. "Well, yeah. You're my new sister, aren't you?"

"Sister…?" Tenten heard the girl mumble. But at least the tears ad stopped, which she took to be a good sign. "B-but I'm not really-"

"No, you're not really my sister, but that's how I feel, so it's okay! Right?" Tenten said cheerily, completely oblivious to the fact that the rest of the sentence wasn't "-your sister…", but rather "-a girl."

"So don't worry about it!" She said, standing up. "Now, you eat your breakfast, then we'll get you cleaned up and into some clothes that fit, and then we'll start over. 'Kay?"

There was another pause before the girl finally nodded, wiping her eyes on her overlarge shirt. Tenten felt the warm feeling deep inside again, smiling at the thought of a sister not for the first time. She practically skipped back to her room, missing the slightly cracked open door to Kurenai's room, as well as the shadow outside the kitchen window.

* * *

Kurenai, who had heard the entire conversation from her bedroom, and Kakashi, who had been standing beside the kitchen window, shared a rare moment of clarity. Indeed, it would come to be one of the few times they ever shared the same thought in the same instant… _She'll do **just** fine…

* * *

_

Naruto stared at the girl in the mirror, still having slight trouble with accepting his new body. The brown haired girl had washed him up, cleaning his face and washing the grime out of his hair, even changing the bandages on his still-swollen ankle. She'd lent him a simple dark purple shirt and black shorts, and tied his hair back into an elegant ponytail, held in place by a length of purple ribbon. She'd even had an extra pair of black tabi boots, which fit him perfectly (oddly enough). Now she stood back, scrutinizing her work.

"Still needs a little…" She trailed off for a second, before snapping her fingers. "Aha!"

She rummaged through her dresser for a minute before pulling out a pair of arm warmers, completely black, that had a loop to pass your middle and ring fingers through, so they covered your palms and the backs of your hands. She pulled them up on his arms, stepping back to take one last look.

"Perfect. You look like one serious kunoichi now."

Naruto flinched at the word kunoichi, but sighed internally. _I guess I'd better get used to it…_ He… No. _She_ thought to _her_self. She nodded slightly. "Thank you…" She managed to say in a small voice.

"Right." The girl said, straightening up. "Now that you're feeling better, let's officially introduce ourselves. I'll go first, 'kay?" Naruto nodded again, and the girl stuck out her hand. "My name's Tenten, and I'm seven! Never had a family name, my parent's gave me up secretly, so the matron's never found it out." She smiled brightly. "Now it's your turn."

Staring at the offered hand for only a second, Naruto gingerly took it in her own. "M-my name… is Kazama Naru."

* * *

Yay! Happy ending to depressing chapter! A few notes, for the confused among you. Naruto's treatment as an orphan was the divergence point in this fic, being significantly higher than canon. Thus, he never developed the prankster gene (or at least, not as much…), and has generally taken on a much more pessimistic view on life. (Thus, his 'revelation' in the night about them only pretending to care.) This will not just disappear! It will take some time for Naru to get over her trust issues. And_ YES_, I will be referring to her as a she and Naru until appropriate (I.E. the change back into a male, which _will_ happen sooner or later…). She will also refer to herself as female, for reasons to be revealed at a later date. (Hee hee, I love doing that…) I'd like to thank everyone who's read this for the immense (compared to my other story) amount of feedback. This story has stirred up the pot far more than I ever expected it to when it started as a simple side project. (Lamentably, the huge response to this fic has placed a huge brick writer's block fence around my ideas for other stories, thus forcing the work on this one…)

Well, later guys! Reviews are appreciated, as always! Cheers! -E. Red XP


	4. Chance Happenings

**Chapter 3: Chance Happenings**

Tenten smiled again. She was having trouble keeping a straight face, with all the excitement she felt today. Sure, her new sister was a little shy, and sure, she seemed not too keen on going out. And yes, she was very suspicious of… Well, everybody. But Tenten was happy, regardless.

They were wandering around aimlessly, looking at their new neighbourhood, tryin to determine where they were, when Naru spoke for the first time since they'd left.

"Ano, Tenten- san?" She said quietly, casting a nervous glance across the street. "I-I think we're near the western wall…"

Tenten frowned slightly at the form of address, but nodded. "I think you're right, Naru-chan." She chose to ignore the flinch. _This_ time… "That means we want to go…" She paused in the middle of an intersection, glancing down each street. "This way!" She said confidently, turning left.

"Ano…" The same quiet voice stopped her in her tracks. "That's the way to the west gate…"

Tenten smiled internally. "I… I knew that! I just got turned around, that's all!" Her smile split onto her face when she heard a tiny, barely noticeable giggle of response. _Progress!_

They walked through the rapidly filling streets of the village, Tenten chatting excitedly the whole way. Every so often, she'd see someone from her class at the academy, and she'd smile and wave. She noticed her new sister seemed very uncomfortable being around other people, and that caused her to frown a little. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by a quiet question from her side.

"Ano… Where are we going, Tenten-san?"

"Well, I'm going to take you to meet some people." She said, glancing around again. "I'm gonna show you off to all my friends."

"Ano… Why?" Naru asked, blushing slightly. "I'm nothing special…"

Tenten gave her a reassuring look, squeezing her hand lightly. "Don't say that! You're my sister now, and that's all that matters." She said matter-of-factly. "Now come on! It's not far from here."

* * *

Naru was rather confused. Why was this girl so proud to have her as a sister? She wasn't anything special: Neither the smartest nor the strongest, nor even the cutest… _Cutest? Where did that come from…?_

And yet, here they stood, a large training ground spread before them. Naru vaguely recognised the building they were standing beside as the ninja academy, and was surprised when she realized what that meant. "Ano, Tenten-san?"

The older girl looked down at her, slightly annoyed. "You know, most little sisters call their older sisters 'neechan'. You don't need to be so formal…"

Naru hung her head. "G-gomen."

She felt Tenten's hand on her shoulder, and her flinch reflex kicked in. "Hey, I'm kidding. You can call me whatever you're comfortable with. Just don't call me late for supper."

Naru let out another tiny giggle, feeling a little bit better.

"Hey guys! Tenten's here!" She heard a boy's voice call out, followed by the sounds of several pairs of feet running towards her. She let out a startled squeak, taking cover behind Tenten.

"Hey guys! I want you all to meet someone!" Before Naru could react, she found herself pulled out in front of Tenten, the older girl holding onto her shoulders protectively. "This is my little sister, Naru! Naru, these are my classmates."

The three older children were staring at her, and she could feel her cheeks flushing. "H-hello…"

" Ah, so this is the sister you were babbling about yesterday." One of the girls said, peering at her. She was taller than Tenten, with long, unkempt black hair and piercing golden brown eyes. She had a set of three small triangular tattoos on her left cheek, making it look like she'd been scratched lately. A small brown puppy peeked out of the front of her jacket, whining pitifully. "Koumyaku says she smells funny."

Tenten stamped her foot. "My sister does _not_ smell, Tsume!" Naru's face felt like it was on fire, and she imagined she looked a lot like a tomato. Anyway, Naru. That's Koumyaku and his pet girl, Inuzuka Tsume. ("Hey!") And this is Hayashi Hana."

The redheaded girl winked at her with startling grey eyes. " 'Lo, Naru." She was around Tenten's hight, wearing a black shirt and red skirt. She wore bandages on all of her limbs, a mixture of red, white and yellow that made her look like she was on fire. She had a pouch strapped to her right leg, and was fiddling with a length of chain that was wrapped across her chest.

"And this is Ryoma Kuro." The boy nodded at her, his eyes bound by a thick black cloth that almost disappeared in his even darker black hair. He was dressed in a hooded sweater and loose cargo pants, both black. He had a small length of metal strapped to his right forearm that was a deep, metallic blue.

"So, whaddya think, guys? She pass the test?" Tenten said cheerily. Her friends looked at each other critically (Except for Kuro. He just cocked his head.) Naru, who didn't think she could possibly blush any deeper, somehow proved herself wrong. Her nervousness was starting to turn into fear of rejection, causing her to shake in Tenten's grasp.

"I don't know…" Tsume said, scratching her chin. "If Koumyaku says she smells funny…"

"She's a little small, Tenten-chan…" Hana said, winking at her again.

"Give it a rest, you two." Kuro said suddenly, his voice startling Naru. "She's got a good heart, and that's all that matters."

"How would you know that, blindo?" Tsume spat sarcastically, confirming what Naru had suspected about Kuro's blindfold.

" 'Cause I can hear it from all the way over hear, and it's thumping about a mile a minute. So lay off. Quit torturing the poor girl."

Hana and Tenten laughed. "Welcome to the gang, squirt." Kuro whispered to her, giving her shoulder a small squeeze.

And for the first time in three days, Naru smiled. It was a small, slow one, but it was a smile nonetheless.

* * *

Kurenai sighed in relief. Finally, she'd seen some emotion from her new charge, something other than fear or despair. _Good girl, Tenten._ She smiled down from her perch on the academy roof. _Now, If I'm right, the Hokage will summon me right about…_

"Kurenai-san."

_Now._ She glanced up at the ANBU messenger that had landed silently behind her. "I was just leaving to see him. Good timing on your part."

The ANBU, much to his credit, didn't show any outward sign of his disappointment. He merely nodded, before vanishing in a burst of smoke.

Kurenai made good time, reaching the Hokage's tower in just over a minute. She nodded at the secretary who waved her inside without looking up from her paperwork. Sarutobi didn't bother looking away from the window when she entered the office.

"Report." He said gruffly.

"She appears to have accepted her own situation quite well, but she shows symptoms akin to paranoia due to the difficulties of her past. She does have some trust issues, refusing to believe that either Tenten or myself actually care about her, in any way, but Tenten has already made some progress in that area. She's also incredibly shy and timid, probably even more so than the Hyuuga Heiress. Besides her trust and confidence issues, though, she's perfectly fine."

Sarutobi nodded contemplatively. "Very well. I leave it to yourself and Kakashi to ensure her further development. I'm calling in Jiraiya as a precaution, however. He's the closest thing to a seal expert we've got, and I want to be sure the demon can't escape." He turned around slowly, looking at her with tired eyes. "Is Naru aware of her prisoner?"

"No, Hokage-sama. The demon told me that it would remain silent until the originally intended date. It believes that Naru would, well, not make it through the shock in her current mental condition."

The Professor slumped into his chair, sighing exhaustedly. "How much were you actually able to get out of the demon? Besides the information on Naruto."

Kurenai shifted nervously. "Not much, Hokage-sama. It told me that it was disgusted with our village for what had happened to Naruto, and that if it ever had the chance, it would escape and 'attack the village for _no_ reason, this time'." The Hokage looked up in shock. "I can only assume that it had a reason for the last attack, though I can't imagine what."

The room was silent for a moment as both it's occupants pondered over the information. The Sandaime finally sighed, giving up. He pulled a small envelope out of his desk, pushing it towards her. "This is Naru's monthly allowance, which used to go towards the orphanage every month. Use it as is necessary. That is all. Dismissed."

"Hai." Kurenai turned on her heel and left the room, envelope in hand._

* * *

_

Naru had watched in awe as the four friends practiced, punches and kicks flying wildly. They moved fluidly, each using only enough force to ensure their attacks were executed properly. But she quickly became aware of the rapidly decreasing amount of attention they were paying to her, and decided to explore the academy building and grounds, feeling a little upset at being excluded.

Seeing as it was a Saturday, there weren't many people around. She'd found one boy, dressed in a black and white training gi, who was rhythmically beating on a training post, counting loudly with each punch. "Seven hundred fifty six! Seven hundred fifty seven!"

She almost bumped into a large man when she had turned away from watching the boy, causing her to fall back on her butt. She stared up at the man, who stared down at her with a slightly curious look. He wore a full-body green leotard, thankfully loose in all the right places, and a heavy flak jacket overtop. He also had on dull orange leg and arm warmers, and wore his leaf headband around his waist, like a belt. His hair was cut into a neat bowlcut, and his black eyes had a perculiar little twinkle to them. She stood up quickly, blushing. "Gomenasai! I-"

"You seem troubled, little one." The man said, a frown that looked like it did not belong on his face forming on it nonetheless. "What bothers you?"

"I… I…" She trailed off, glancing back at the exercising boy (who was now up to eight hundred twenty). "It's nothing, sir… 'M sorry for bumping into you…" She gave a small bow before hurrying off, completely oblivious of the worried expression on the man's face as he watched her go.

She hurried away from the spot, not paying much attention to where she was turning, until she took another corner too fast, and collided headlong into another person, sending them both crashing to the floor with an "Oomph!"

She couldn't believe what she had just done. She didn't even bother looking at the person, she just stood and ran, tears already forming in her eyes. She heard a man's voice behind her calling out for her to wait, but she just kept on running. She rounded several more corners before she misstepped, twisting her bad ankle and crying out in pain.

She heard footsteps coming from the corridor she'd just run down, and watched as a man stepped around the corner. He was wearing a standard issue chuunin uniform, and he had a worried look on his scarred face. He bent down towards her, his messy ponytail shaking as he did. "Hey, are you hurt?"

Of course, she was. She was beyond hurt, whimpering in pain as tears poured from her eyes. She started shaking again, holding her ankle. The man's face took on a panicked expression for a minute as he glanced around, looking for some help. Finding none, he shook his head. "I guess there's nothing for it, then…"

He looked critically at her. "I'm going to take you to the hospital, which means I have to carry you. I want you to tell me the instant anything hurts, alright?" She nodded slowly, somewhat scared of weather the man was telling the truth or not, but she wasn't in any shape to argue.

The man picked her up slowly, gently placing an arm under her knees and around her back. He was forced to stop when he jostled her ankle as he stood up, earning a loud whimper in response. "I'm sorry." He whispered to her, slowly standing up. "I'll try to get you there quickly, but there might be some pain on the way. Will you be okay?"

Again, she only nodded, in too much pain already to say anything. And with that, they were off. The entire trip was a blur of movement and shooting pain for her, and she was able to fight the pain long enough to see a lady in a white coat take her from the man, shaking and crying the whole time, until she finally passed out from the pain…

* * *

Only to awaken in what seemed to be an instant. The room blurred slightly as it came into focus, revealing a very white, very sterile space. _Great… I hate hospitals…_ She sat up, groaning slightly as her stiff body stretched. It was then that she noticed the man from the academy, sitting on a chair and looking at her with a curious smile. She gave a small "Eep!" before diving back under the sheets.

She heard the man chuckle, peeking out of the sheets slightly to stare at him. "At least you're awake now." He said, standing up slowly. "How are you feeling?"

She stared at him for a second before answering hesitantly. "B-better…"

"That's good…" He said, scratching his head in embarrassment. "You passed out just as the nurse took you from me, so I was worried." He gave a small, humourless laugh. "Turns out it was a good thing you had to come to the hospital today…"

"N-nani?" She exclaimed, alarmed at the statement.

The man waved his hands in front of himself. "No, it's nothing serious! You started to run a slight fever, so the doctors had to run a few tests to find out what was wrong. Turns out you had a severe hormonal imbalance…" Seeing the terrified look he was getting, he shook his head. _This isn't going the way it should…_ "Heh, what I mean is… Well, your body had a lot of extra… pieces. Pieces that were causing… problems. But the doctors gave you something that should help your body normalize in a day or two…"

They sat there, staring at each other for a few minutes in awkward silence. The man finally coughed, starting to turn away. "I'll go get one of the nurses to come in here and give you a quick once over. Will you be okay alone for a minute?" He left when she nodded, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Naru slumped against the tall wooden fence she was walking past, sobbing in despair. She'd been discharged from the hospital more than two hours ago, having been given an envelope with instructions to give it to her parents (almost causing her to break down right there…). The man she'd run into had left only after he was sure she was okay. He'd eventually introduced himself as Umino Iruka, a teacher at the academy, and had nearly fell over when Naru introduced herself. He'd had just enough time to stutter the name "Kazama" before Naru had realized how late it was and run off towards the west side of the village.

The problem being, she didn't have the slightest clue where she was supposed to go.

And so she sat, tired, cold, hungry and upset, leaning up against the fence and hugging her knees to herself. She felt like she had been sitting there for hours before she noticed the butterfly. It was huge, it's wings easily bigger than her hands, and coloured a very pretty purple and blue. It landed daintily on her arm, staying still and allowing the distraught girl to admire it for a moment, before taking off again, leaving her to herself.

She didn't notice it flutter over the fence she was leaning on.

It was a few minutes later when she saw a man and a bow turn around one corner of the fence, slowly moving towards her. They stood out by being the first people to come down the street in hours, not by their high collared jackets or sunglasses (which should have seemed odd, seeing as how the sun was almost completely set.). She watched them approach and stop before her, looking down at her (once again) shaking form.

"Are you alright, young miss?" The man said, kneeling down to her level. She shook her head at the question, which caused the man to frown (though she didn't really notice it. "What is wrong?"

She looked back and forth from the man and the young boy who had accompanied him out, vaguely noticing the large butterfly on the boy's shoulder, before she burst into fresh tears. "I-I'm lost!"

The man turned to the boy, nodding slightly. The boy looked back, an eyebrow inching over his sunglasses slightly before he nodded in response. The man looked back at her, smiling slightly. "I'm going to go and get someone to help you. My son will stay here and keep you company while I do. Is that alright?"

She nodded through her tears, flinching only slightly as the boy sat down beside her against the fence, and then again as the man disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naru and the boy sat in silence for a moment before he spoke in a quiet, subdued tone. "My name is Aburame Shino. What's yours?"

She looked at the boy, who was now staring intently at the butterfly, which had fluttered off of his shoulder and landed on Naru's ponytail, looking for all the world like an oversized bow. "K-Kazama Naru…" She said quietly, turning to look back at the ground. "You d-don't need to k-keep me company, Shino-san… Y-you can go if you w-want to..."

The boy glanced at her, the eyebrow once again flickering above his glasses before he turned to look up at the stars, which were just starting to come out. "Nobody should have to be alone when they're upset…" He said simply, letting it go at that.

Naru had no idea how long they sat there in the dark street, but the next thing she recalled was being tapped gently on the shoulder. She shifted her head on her pillow, blinking as the world came back into focus. _Hang on…? Pillow?_ Glancing at it, she blinked uncomprehendingly, before standing up like she'd been bitten, blushing furiously.

"G-gomen, Shino-san!" She squeaked as the boy stood as well, hiding his slightly red face behind his collar while rubbing the feeling back into his shoulder. She didn't have any time to say any more before a set of arms closed around her.

"Where have you been? I've been so worried about you!" Naru looked up into the face of the woman she'd spoken to last night. Kurenai indeed looked upset, but she smiled through it. "What happened?"

Silently, Naru handed her the slightly crumpled envelope from the hospital. Kurenai blinked at it for a second before smiling again. "Well, let's get you home, fed and into bed. Whaddya say?" Again, she nodded wordlessly. "Thank you for your assistance, Shibi-sama." The man nodded in acknowledgement before he and Shino started back around the fence.

"Ano, Shino-san…" Naru spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence. The boy and his father stopped, looking back at the quiet girl. "Thank you… For not leaving me alone…" He looked at her for the shortest of moments, before nodding, and turning away, disappearing around the corner, and into the night…


	5. Heartfelt Revelations

**Chapter 4: Heartfelt Revelations**

Kurenai sighed as she slid the door to Naru's bedroom closed, having watched her cry herself to sleep. The helpless feeling she'd had for most of the day refused to leave her, even now.

In truth, it had been a day of embarrassing defeats for the entire village of Konoha and her ninja. One small transformed girl caused an uproar in the village that rivalled even those caused by her former identity, the 'demon Uzumaki'. Upon returning to the academy after her meeting with the Hokage, she had been greeted by an extremely distraught Tenten and three other academy students. Apparently, they'd "only taken their eyes off her for a second", and before they realized it, she had vanished without a trace.

The five of them had torn the academy building up by it's roots searching for any sign of where she could be. They'd run into Maito Gai, who said he'd seen her about an hour ago, but that he didn't know where she had gone. Kurenai had been on the verge of strangling the man when he casually mentioned that "The young lady seemed very upset about something when she'd left him".

Tenten and her friends had to restrain her, prying her hands from around his neck…

When the academy grounds yielded no clues as to where the girl had gone, Kurenai made for the Hokage tower, by this time having long past stripped off her 'Ice Queen' shell, switching into full-blown panic mode. Immediately, the entire available ANBU and juonin contingent had been dispatched to find her, leaving a hysterical Kurenai in the care of the Hokage himself.

An hour of searching had only yielded a single clue, in the form of Umino Iruka. The young chuunin had reportedly run into the girl at the academy, and she'd had an accident of some kind, causing Iruka to rush her to the hospital. The hospital staff themselves proved nearly useless, the presiding doctor having assumed the child would be returning soon enough with her parents, when they got his letter…

Kurenai had to be restrained from strangling him, as well.

Even the Inuzuka family and Kakashi, expert trackers in their own rights, couldn't find any trace of the girl. 'Something' about her chakra prevented her from leaving either a scent or a chakra trail. 'Something' made it indistinguishable from normal background scents/chakra. The Hokage's scrying jutsu couldn't even get a proper lock on the girl, only brief flashes of the academy building, the hospital, and the Yondaime's residence.

And finally, after over three and a half hours of searching, Naru had been found. Aburame Shibi, a juonin who'd been rotated off of his border patrol mission only that day, had arrived home earlier in the evening. His son had approached him, revealing that there appeared to be a very distraught young girl, slumped crying against the rear fence of the Aburame compound. Kurenai had wasted no time, following the man at as fast a speed as she could manage in her own distraught state.

Finding her asleep, leaning against a slightly blushing young boy caused a mixed reaction of amusement and relief to wash over Kurenai Upon waking her, she was somewhat perplexed as to what had happened between the girl and Shino, the boy who'd kept her company while his father went for help. She had a nagging feeling that it was extremely important, and resolved to get the full story as soon as Naru was comfortable with telling it.

Getting the girl to sleep was even more nerve-wracking than tearing apart a village to find her. She had cried her heart out to Kurenai, saying nothing and everything at the same time. She'd finally cried the last of her energy out of herself, falling deeply asleep, only minutes ago. And now, Kurenai sat, slumped against the kitchen counter, trying to make sense of her own feelings.

Kurenai was protective by nature, which was indeed the reason she'd adopted Tenten in the first place. She'd been the only survivor of an accident at the old orphanage on the east side, a fire that claimed over fifty young lives. Kurenai had taken pity on the ash-smeared three year old, volunteering to take the girl in when she'd heard the news. She'd been injured seriously during her juonin exam, only a week before, and thus was stuck on light duty until she was fully healed.

And now, she'd taken on another young girl out of pity, not even considering her feelings in the action. Kurenai's compassionate instincts had gotten the better of her, and Naru was suffering from it, unsure of the sincerity of her guardians…

Kurenai's thoughts were interrupted by a hand on her shoulder, and she very nearly reacted violently. Kakashi, however, was quick enough to realize his mistake. "You did everything you could." He said simply. "Don't sweat the little things."

"Little things?! This was a little thing?!" Kurenai said, her temper flaring. "I lost her, Kakashi! After less than one day, and it's a damn _little thing?!_"

He threw up his arms in defence. "Hey, it could have been a lot worse, that's all I'm saying." He turned and stepped out of the room, but paused before leaving her alone. "I'm glad you care so much about… her. And I'm sure Arashi-sensei would be too…"

And then he left…

* * *

When Naru awoke, she felt extremely stiff and sore, her body protesting loudly to her as she sat up in bed. She glanced at the small clock on her desk, yawning. It was still early, well before she expected anyone to be up. Seeing the outfit Tenten had loaned her folded neatly at the foot of her bed, she proceeded to get dressed before slipping out her door. She very nearly made it to the kitchen before she noticed it.

The walls seemed a little brighter than they had the other day. The sun was shining brighter, and the birds were chirping louder. Everything seemed… different. Better, even. Life no longer seemed quite so gloomy to her, and she paused. She felt… good. No longer was she upset by her fate. She'd accepted the fact that she was a girl, at least until she figured out how to change back.

And that startled her. She had no recollection of making such a decision. Sure she felt a hundred times better today, but there would always be that lingering doubt…

At once, the light dimmed slightly, the sounds became a little duller, and she continued pondering her situation, oblivious of the person coming out of the kitchen…

"Naru-chan!" Tenten shrieked, throwing her arms around the younger girl, who… didn't flinch? Naru frowned slightly, and once again, the world seemed to dim slightly. Tenten blithered for a few minutes, apologizing for loosing her, claiming how worried she was, that sort of thing.

But Naru's mind was already closing up. The dark thoughts that raced about her mind were bringing her back into her own personal hell. All she could manage was a tiny "Gomen…" to Tenten.

She slumped down at the table, picking through the breakfast that had been set out for her. She did a lot of thinking in that moment. Why were these people pretending to care so much? If they were being forced by the Hokage to stay with her…

And that's when she got it. She.

The thought clicked into her head like a puzzle piece. She was a girl now. The villagers had hated a boy. Maybe… They didn't know who she was! The dimness that she'd applied to the world shattered like glass, and she smiled. She'd been given a second chance at life. The villagers didn't know who she was, and so they had no reason to hate her! The only people who knew who she really was were Old Man Hokage, and her two guardians. And they didn't look at her with _those_ eyes, at least…

"I see you're awake, sleeping beauty."

Naru blushed at the man's words. "Ano, I'm not-"

"Come on, don't sell yourself short." Kakashi 'smiled' at the expression on her face. "Anyway, it's good to see you up and about finally."

"Ano, finally?"

She heard him laugh. "You slept through the whole day yesterday. It's Monday."

"Nani?!"

"You were sick yesterday. Ran a high fever. Slept through. Get it?" He said jovially.

Naru frowned slightly. "But that means…"

"Yep." Kakashi said, laughing again. "You need to get ready for school."

* * *

And so it was that, scarcely an hour later, Naru found herself standing at the head of a class, blushing a deep crimson in embarrassment. Kakashi had accompanied her here, introducing her to her new teachers, one of whom just happened to be the man who'd taken her to the hospital. She was entering the academy about a month late in the term, but Kakashi had told her not to worry, promising to help her with anything she needed.

She was extremely nervous as she stood at the head of the class, seeing all of the other students staring at her. She spotted Shino in the crowd, (actually, a little separate from the crowd. There were several empty seats surrounding him, for a reason Naru wasn't sure of…) feeling a little better knowing there would be at least one friendly face in her class.

The man who was talking to the class, introduced to her as Mizuki-sensei, turned towards her, smiling. "You can go sit down now, Naru. Pick any open seat you like." She nodded shyly, shuffling up the steps and taking the end seat next to Shino, who gave her a small nod of acknowledgement (Surprising the hell out of every other student in the class.).

Her morning classes went well, though she wasn't really clear on what was being said, not having been there for the previous classes. But Shino, who noticed her predicament, silently handed her his notes for the previous month (once again shocking the hell out of anyone who saw.). She had tried to refuse, but he'd silently insisted, which was apparently more possible than it sounded… Or didn't sound, as it were…

Lunchtime was the first opportunity she had to interact with anyone else in the class, and she was quickly accosted by a pair of girls, who introduced themselves as Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino. They interrogated her for the better part of a half hour, asking her everything from who she was to why she had chosen to sit next to the creepy bug kid (which only confused her). She was rescued from the pair by a boy with his hair pulled into a pineapple-shaped ponytail, who was introduced as Nara Shikamaru. He made a comment about "Troublesome females…" which earned him two lumps on his head, and a small giggle from Naru (which surprised him greatly.). He introduced her to his friend Akimichi Chouji, and the three spent the rest of the break sitting under a tree, eating their lunches while the boys pointed out everyone in the class to 'the new girl'.

"You know, you're a bit weird." Shikamaru said suddenly, causing Naru to look away from the rest of the class. "Why aren't you hanging out with the other girls? Why Chouji and me?"

She smiled at him, pushing her worries out of her head. "I'm not really what you'd call normal, Shikamaru-san. Besides, you saved me from being talked to death, so I figured you were a nice person…"

Chouji started laughing as his friend flushed. "Okay, you're really weird…" He muttered, sending Naru into a fit of giggles just as the warning bell rang.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. When Naru had made to give Shino his notes back, the boy simply shook his head. "Take them home and copy them. I'll get them back when you're done." He said quietly, truning and walking out of the room with a small wave (shocking the class for a third time in a single day.).

Naru was greeted by Tenten at the end of the day, and the older girl was shocked by the huge smile her adopted sister was wearing. They chatted inanely as they walked home, Tenten completely shocked by the change in attitude. So much so, that she had to bring it up.

"Did something happen to you? You seem… different today.."

Naru smiled. "I just realized something, that's all."

"And that would be?" Tenten asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Himitsu." Naru said happily, smiling even wider.

_New life. New chances. I won't waste it feeling sorry for myself…_

* * *

Next chapter will cover the important events, using timeskips in mid chapter, then the next one will start the original timeline.

The second will be a little choppier, but will give you a lot of info beforehand. I personally am leaning towards the first (smoother progression, IMO), but I'm willing to consider either…

Whatever, R&R like usual, and I hope that clears up a few things. Oh, and I do have an explaination for my little slip with Inuzuka Tsume last chapter, in case you were wondering. It's in one of the 'important events' during the academy years. Just so you know…

-E. Red


	6. Defining Moments

**Chapter 5: Defining Moments**

"Please not Bunshin… Please not Bunshin… Please not Bunshin…"

Naru sat in her usual seat, fingers crossed and face screwed up in concentration as she chanted the mantra in a hushed voice, not noticing her neighbours, Kiba and Shino, staring at her curiously.

Six years of academy life had changed Naru. She no longer was the timid little girl she had been immediately after her change. She walked tall, proud of who she was. Who she had become. Life as a girl turned out to be the best thing she'd ever experienced. Not that that was really saying much, considering her pre-girl life… Sure the villagers still whispered when she walked past, but now for a wholly new reason…

* * *

_**Flashback**_

_"Ojisan?" A six and a half year old Naru poked her head into the Hokage's office, her quiet voice disturbing the old man from his paperwork. "Are you busy?"_

_"Not at all. Come in." Naru shuffled into the room, blushing a little as the Hokage scrutinized her. She was wearing a light purple dress, one with a long skirt that came almost down to her ankles. She'd slowly gotten used to wearing 'girly' clothes over the months, as she felt somewhat obligated to at least try and act the part. She pulled one of the chairs out in front of the old man's desk and hauled herself into it._

_"I'm glad to see that you're adapting well to your situation." He remarked offhandedly, bringing another blush to her cheeks. A slight quirk of an eyebrow was all he did to show his amusement. "What can I do for you today, Naru?"_

_The girl fidgeted for a second, as if uncomfortable with what she wanted to say. "Well… I… I wanna know…About my parents…"_

_The professor twitched imperceptibly, stunned by the question. "Naru-"_

_"You gotta tell me!" She blurted. "Everyone always gives me a funny look when I tell them my name, and…" She clenched her hands together, looking down at the floor. "I… I don't know why. And it scares me… a little…"_

_He looked at her for a minute, blinking. Finally he sighed, shaking his head and glancing up at the pictures of the other Hokages. Or, one Hokage in particular…_

_"Naru, what I'm about to tell you is an S-class secret." He said suddenly, his tone serious. "You know what that means, right?" He paused long enough for her to nod shakily. "Your parents… Your father was called Kazama Arashi, and your mother's name was Uzumaki Kimiko before she married your father."_

_"Ano… Why did I get my mother's name when I was born."_

_The old man sighed, feeling every one of his years in that moment. "Both of your parents were lost in the battle with the Kyuubi. Your mother died when the hospital was hit, only shortly after you were born. And your father… He died after defeating the demon. Your father was the Yondaime Hokage."_

_Naru stared at him, stunned beyond words. Her gaze dropped after a few moments, and her body started to shake slightly, a warning sign that she was upset about something. (Gee, I wonder what that could be…) Sarutobi stood from his seat, stepping around the desk and placing a hand gently on the girl's shoulder._

_"I'm sorry I had to keep this from you for so long, but your father had many enemies before the attack. Without him around, I couldn't risk something happening to you. That's why I gave you your mother's name."_

_She looked up at him, tears flowing freely from her eyes. "B-but why did everyone hate m-me? If I was the son of a hero-"_

_"The only people who knew who your parents where, are myself and your father's teacher. Nobody else knew your mother's family name, so none made the connection." The old man said sadly, his eyes going distant as he recalled memories of a couple Naru would never meet. He pulled her in close to him, letting her cry into his shoulder. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner…"_

_**Flash Forward** _

_It was three days before her seventh birthday that Naru woke up to the sound of movement in her bedroom. She tried to sit up in her bed, but her body refused to move, as if it weighed hundreds of times more than it usually did. She tried to speak, but her face was completely numb._

_"Wakey wakey, mini freak." A creepy voice spoke suddenly, from the direction of her window. A shadowy form approached her bed, picking her up roughly, before leaping back out the window._

_They sailed through the air, silently passing over the outer walls of the village. When they were well away from the village, the man turned sharply, shooting off in a different direction. By this time, Naru had regained the feeling in her face, enough to stutter out "W-who…?"_

_The man stumbled slightly as he misstepped on a tree branch, but recovered flawlessly. "Heh. Looks like you've got a high metabolism, freak. You don't need to know who I am, only that I'm taking you home with me."_

_"W-why…?"_

_The man growled suddenly, bouncing her body harshly off of a tree trunk in mid leap, catching her before she could fall to her death. Naru whimpered in pain, and the man laughed sadistically. "Well, your old man went and got himself killed, so you're the only option I got." He spat angrily, turning sharply and taking off in another direction again._

_Naru was terrified now. The Sandaime had told her about her father's enemies, but she never expected them to actually come for her. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it." The man said, laughing again, sending a chill up Naru's spine. "I'm gonna take you home, tie you to a bed, and dissect you. I promise it won't hurt… Much…"_

_Naru felt the fear building inside her, like a stoppered up hose, waiting to burst. She was about to cry out when she felt… Something else. It was warm, and it started deep within her, like a fire in her belly. She felt it getting hotter and hotter, but it didn't hurt. It felt… Soothing, almost. Calming, in a way. Suddenly, the feeling contracted, flaring painfully before shooting out into her entire body, and out of it._

_The man tripped in surprise, dropping her roughly to the ground. She impacted with incredible force, gouging a crater out of the hard earth before bouncing and rolling another hundred yards. She came to a stop, noticing for the first time that she could move. And that she wasn't hurt at all by the fall. When she felt the presence appear behind her, she didn't have time to think. Only to react._

_It was some time later that the ANBU showed up, eight of them dropping out of the trees around her and what was left of her kidnapper. One look at the scene told the captain everything he needed to know about what had happened. The Iwa nin's lifeless body lay on the ground, his mouth hanging impossibly wide open, his lower jaw dislocated from the rest of his skull. The back of his mouth was missing, a ragged hole showing the bloodied grass beneath him. His mouth was full of burned tissue, indicating that the wound had been cauterized upon entry, but reopened on exit._

_And the blood that stained half of the crying girl's arm told him exactly what had caused the wound._

_The captain knelt down beside the girl, placing a hand on her shaking shoulder. "Are you alright, young miss?" He wasn't the least bit surprised when she leapt at him, clinging on for dear life._

_"I-I d-didn't mean t-to…" She sobbed. "It was an a-accident…"_

_The man picked her up gently, cradling her shaking body in his arms. "It's okay. We're here to take you home…"_

_She was quiet for the entire trip home, trembling in the ANBU's arms the whole way. The Hokage met the party at the gates of the village, taking Naru from the captain and silently dismissing the team. He walked a short distance, stopping in an empty park and gently sitting down on a bench, holding Naru, still shaking, in his arms._

_They sat in the park in silence for a few moments while Sarutobi allowed Naru to calm down. "Are you hurt?" He finally asked, rubbing her back comfortingly._

_"N-no…"_

_"Can you tell me what happened?"_

_The girl looked up at him, showing her face for the first time since she'd been found. The Hokage was taken aback by the sight of her eyes._

_They'd turned a deep bloody red._

_'She must have tapped Kyuubi again…' He though, looking sadly at the girl's face as she began to speak, in slow, faltering scentences._

_Naru's shaking steadily worsened as she detailed the events of the night to the Old Man. When she broke down into sobbing when she spoke of how she dispatched her kidnapper, the Hokage nodded understandingly, slowly standing up with the young girl still in his arms._

_Kakashi greeted him at the door, his body trembling with barely supressed rage. He took Naru in his arms, wordlessly nodding his thanks to the Hokage as the old man turned to leave. Kakashi closed the door of the house just in time to miss Sarutobi smash his fist through a stone fence in anger._

_Naru was too tired to really do anything, so it fell upon Kurenai to cleanse her of the now caked-on blood and grime. She was dried and dressed in a nightgown before she finally spoke, just as Kurenai stood to leave her bedroom._

_"P-please d-don't leave me Kaasan!"_

_Kurenai was beside her instantly. "Never, love." She said softly, embracing the trembling girl. "Never again…"_

_They sat like that for a long time, Naru crying in her adoptive mother's arms, until she finally succumbed to exhaustion…_

_**End Flashback**_

* * *

"Good morning everybody." 

Naru was shaken from her thoughts by the arrival of her teachers, Mizuki and Iruka. _Please not Bunshin…_ She continued chanting her mantra silently.

"This is your final Gennin examination. Based on your performance here, you will either pass, and be placed on a gennin team, or failed, and returned to the academy for a year of supplemental training. The three tests you've taken previously this year were preparation for this one, so you should have a good idea as to what you'll be required to do."

Naru felt the blood leave her face at the announcement. _Oh, please… Not-_

"Your final test requires you to successfully perform the Bunshin No Jutsu-"

"**SON OF A BI**-mmph!" Naru's scream of anguish was stifled quickly by two hands, one from either of her neighbours. Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino were as passive as stone as the entire class stared at their blonde companion. They'd been friends throughout the academy years, Shino since they'd met and Kiba since he'd attended her seventh birthday party.

* * *

_**Flashback **_

_Naru awoke, a feeling of dread rising inside her as she recalled what day it was. October tenth. Her birthday. She shifted uncomfortably, glancing up at the clock. 'Guh. Only ten AM…'_

_She stood slowly, stretching as she did. She took her time dressing, not looking forward to facing the day that had previously only brought her pain and anguish. She pulled on a light purple blouse and a darker purple skirt. She finished up with a light fleece jacket, again coloured a regal shade of purple (She'd grown quite fond of the colour purple. It was neither too masculine nor too feminine, which was something she appreciated, in some small way…). She pulled the zipper halfway up, pausing to look in the mirror. Her red eyes clashed terribly with her outfit, so she screwed up her face in concentration, and was rewarded with a slippery, tingly sensation in her eyes. She blinked twice, glancing back into the mirror, smiling in satisfaction at her now purple eyes._

_It was still hard to do, but after her episode with the kidnapper, she'd found that she could freely control the colour of her eyes. It wasn't much, but it gave her hope. She'd been upset that she'd lost her 'baby blues' when she found out, wishing she had them back. She was surprised to feel the now familiar tingle, and watched as her eyes shifted from red to blue. (Which turned out to be a bad idea, as she immediately became dizzy and collapsed.) Her guardians were surprised by the ability (silently guessing that she'd unlocked more of Kyuubi's abilities during the incedent), but were caught up in the girl's excitement._

_So she'd started changing her eye colour daily, experimenting. She found that some colours, specifically red and blue, were incredibly easy to do, while most others required a good amount of concentration. She'd had a lot of fun with the ability, showing up to a class on intimidation with neon-orange eyes, startling the hell out of her classmates._

_She sighed as she stepped up to her door. "The sooner I get this day over with, the better…" She muttered to herself, sliding through the door quietly._

_She was proven wrong within ten seconds._

"_Happy birthday, Naru-chan!"_

_Naru barely had time to blink as she was tackled by no less than three people. She gave a small squeak of surprise as she heard several people laughing at her. She was pulled up off of the ground by her assailants, now recogniseable as Tenten and her friends, Inuzuka Tsume and Hayashi Hana. Looking around the room, she was astonished to see her friends sitting in her living room. Shino, Shikamaru, Chouji. Even Hinata, who she'd befriended easily only a month or so into the school year. Tenten's third friend, Ryoma Kuro, sat next to another boy from her class, Inuzuka Kiba. Naru and Kiba didn't exactly know each other, but they had never really spoken. Tsume noticed Naru looking at her cousin, and she grinned sheepishly._

"_Sorry 'bout that. There was nobody else who could watch him, so he had to come."_

"_W-what? No, I-" Naru stammered, embarrassed._

"_I'm perfectly capable of staying at home alone, Tsume-baka." Kiba said grumpily._

"_Now, now. Is that any way for you to talk about your mother?" Kiba huffed again, glaring at her. Noticing the confused looks she was getting, Tsume sighed. "My aunt and I have the same name. My mother thinks it's amusing…"_

_The day that followed was arguably one of the happiest of Naru's life. The friends laughed and talked, watching movies and playing games all day long. Even Kiba started to warm up to them. The end of the day came far too quickly, in Naru's eyes, but she sent everyone off with as much grace as she could muster. Kiba and Tsume left together, the former even departing with a friendly "See you tomorrow". Kuro was the last to leave, smiling warmly at her and pressing a small box into her hand. Naru tried to protest, saying that she'd already received a gift from him, but he just smiled wider and waved her off._

_She'd worn the small, scroll-shaped locket every day since he'd given it to her. Inside' it had a picture of her and her adopted family, and an empty space, which she filled with a picture of her with all her friends, taken at the party._

_**End Flashback**_

* * *

She sighed in defeat as she laid her head on her desk. Bunshin No Jutsu was the one thing that she could not do to save her life. For whatever reason, her bunshin always came out sickly and deformed. She sat in dejected silence, barely registering as her classmates around her were called one by one into the examiners room. She nodded blankly at the voices of her friends, as they tried to cheer her up, or give her advice. She stood up slowly when her name was finally called, slumping down the stairs and out into the exam room. 

"Please perform the Bunshin No Jutsu, so that we may evaluate your skill level." Mizuki blandly said, watching her with a slight glare. (Mizuki had never really been very nice to Naru, though she wasn't sure why…)

Naru brought her hands together, forming the required seal. She took a deep breath as she began focusing her chakra, concentrating as hard as she could. "Bunshin No Jutsu!" She said, releasing her chakra into her technique.

There was a poof of smoke on either side of her, and a pair of clones became visible. Naru felt a glimmer of hope when she saw that they were standing up straight, but it vanished when she saw their faces. They were both sickly and pale, looking like ghosts. They stood for a second, before turning slightly green, and running behind a tall plant in one corner of the room, followed closely by the sounds of violent retching.

Iruka sighed. "Fail." He said sadly.

Naru slumped again, defeated. Mizuki's voice penetrated her funk. "Technically we could pass her, Iruka. She did create a pair of Bunshin, and they even stood up this time…"

Naru's flash of hope was dashed quickly, however, when Iruka spoke again. "I'm sorry, but I can't pass her based on those. They would be nearly useless in the field. I have to fail her…"

But she had already left the room…

* * *

Iruka felt horrible. He'd grown quite close to the girl he'd just failed, over the years. She was like a little sister to him. They'd shared a bowl or ramen together one day, during her second year at the academy, when she'd followed him during his lunch break all the way to Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, asking questions about something she didn't quite understand. They spent many a lunch hour in conversation over the next few years, and now he was forced to jeopardize their relationship in order to keep her safe. But he still felt like scum…

* * *

Naru sat dejectedly on the swing behind the academy building, watching sadly as her classmates were greeted by their families. Her guardians were busy today, so they weren't going to be able to pick her up. Which was probably just as well. She felt like being alone… Tenten's face appeared in the crowd, searching for her. Naru sighed, turning from the building and jumping the back fence. She couldn't face her sister. Not yet. 

A few minutes of jumping from building to building brought her to an old, run-down apartment building, where she sat on the roof, alone with her thoughts. At least she thought she was alone. She heard the footsteps behind her, and turned to look at her company.

"You know, there is another way for you to pass…"

* * *

And that's all for today! Yippee! Go me! Ahem… So, there are a few things in this chapter that are important, but I'll let you pick them out. Also, I know my excuse for the Inuzuka name mixup was a little weak, but they've always been portrayed as the most lax of the clans in terms of formality. I think they might actually be a (gasp) fun familly! Once again, reviews with praise, ones with nitpicks and even ones with criticism are greatly appreciated! Later, all! 

-E. Red

P.S.: Did anyone else feel really sad for Kurenai when they read the Manga chapter 328?

P.P.S.: Also, I have a question. In canon, if Naruto failed the Gennin exam three times, why isn't he 3 years older than his classmates? I'm sure they all didn't fail three times, and it seems odd that they'd test the at age 9…


	7. Tainted Information

**Chapter 6: Tainted Information**

Naru slumped against the wall of the small shack, grinning madly at the huge scroll in her hands. Mizuki-sensei had completely redeemed himself for his standoffish attitude over the years, telling her that he would pass her if she could perform an incredible feat of skill. Say, steal a forbidden scroll from the office of the Hokage?

_Well, after going to all that trouble, I might as well see what I stole…_ She thought to herself, unsealing the scroll and rolling it out a little bit. It was a jutsu scroll! The first one on the scroll was the Kage Bunshin No Jutsu… "Damnit! Why'd it have to be Bunshin!?"

She sighed, reading the directions written below the hand seal diagram. She blinked at it, shocked by how simple it was. "I can do this! Hell, that's easier than the regular version!" _But will they come out right…

* * *

_

"You want us to _what_?"

Kakashi and Kurenai were somewhat surprised by the Hokage's reason behind their meeting. In another moment of rare clarity, they both uttered the same astonished question.

"I'm asking you to take charge of two of the gennin teams this year." The old man repeated, puffing on his pipe. "Two of the 'promising' teams. Kurenai will be leading a reconnaissance team, while Kakashi will take a heavy-combat based team. As soon as Asuma and Iruka get here, we'll begin deciding the teams."

The words had barely left his mouth when the aforementioned shinobi entered the room quietly, bowing slightly to the Hokage. Iruka stood beside the Hokage, holding his clipboard and regarding the three selected Juonin.

"Who are the most promising young gennin from this batch, Iruka?" The Professor asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"Of the Twenty-six graduates, the ones with the most potential are Aburame Shino, Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke, Yamanaka Ino, Hyuga Hinata, Haruno Sakura, Akimichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba and Murai Yusuke."

Kakashi and Kurenai both visibly twitched, but the Hokage beat them to the question. "Who failed? It was a class of Twenty-seven was it not?"

Iruka had at least the good graces to look ashamed of himself. "I had to fail one of them, Hokage-sama. She couldn't produce a proper Bunshin…" He trailed off, hoping he wouldn't be pressed for details.

Hoping in vain, however. "Which student, Iruka?" The Sandaime asked, his tone hardening slightly.

Iruka sighed in defeat. "Kazama Naru, sir."

"What?" Apparently, Kakashi and Kurenai were still in sync from their last question.

"Her Bunshin, while clearly improved from previous attempts at the Jutsu, were still useless in all practical applications of the word." Iruka was still staring at his sandals as he spoke. "I had to fail her, according to the standards…"

Sarutobi was about to speak again, when he was interrupted by his door slamming open, an out of breath Mizuki standing in the doorway. "Your pardon, Hokage-sama." He wheezed, a panicked look on his face. "But there's been a break in at one of the archives. The scroll of forbidden seals has been stolen."

"What?!" He shouted, standing suddenly. "How?!"

"I'm not sure, Hokage-sama, but witnesses claim to have seen Kazama Naru fleeing the scene carrying a large package of some kind…"

Now it was Kakashi and Kurenai's time to shout. **"WHAT?!"**

The Hokage, however wasted no time. He practically threw Mizuki and Iruka out of his office. "Get every available ninja on this! She must NOT read that scroll!" He slumped in his chair, a slightly crazed look on his face. "Asuma, you're dismissed. Go wait in the lounge until I send for you." He said irritably, not even looking up.

"Hai." The smoking man said, a little nervous at seeing his father in this kind of mood. _He **never** gets mad… What is going on?_

The door was securely shut behind him before Kurenai and Kakashi began to speak at the same time, one very rapidly claiming that they had no idea why she would do something like this, while the other babbled about teaching her to be better than this. The Sandaime silenced them both with a look.

"Listen to me, both of you. I neither know nor care why or how she took the scroll. If she reads far enough into it, she'll find my amended notes on the results of the Yondaimes Shiki Fuuin. Do you understand what I'm getting at?" They nodded silently. "Good. You two know her better than anyone else. Find her. Prevent her from reading that scroll. Now go."

They vanished in the space of a blink, leaving the troubled Sandaime to his thoughts. Naru had been a perfectly well behaved student, only occasionally showing delinquent tendencies by cutting out of classes. She was frequently in the top quarter of the class, usually sitting just above the 75th percentile. Why would she pull something like this? Why now? Was it despair for failing her exam? He sighed, pulling out his scrying crystal. It was never very reliable with Naru, but sometimes he could catch a glimpse of something important… Sometimes…

* * *

Touji Mizuki raced through the trees towards his goal, a sadistic smirk appearing on his face. He came to a stop on a high branch, staring down at the shack. At his prey…

* * *

Naru wiped her face with her sleeve, sitting back down next to the scroll (which had automatically re-rolled itself when she'd started practicing.). "That's two down. Let's see what's next…" She reached for the scroll, pulling it back into her lap, but was stopped by the arrival of…

"Mizuki-sensei!" She exclaimed, standing up with the scroll held under one arm. "I did it! I got the scroll, see? So that means I pass, right?"

The next thing she knew, she was kicked very roughly in the face, sending her sprawling. The scroll's strap had caught on her arm, causing it to fall heavily on top of her. Her eyes immediately welled up as her broken nose began to throb. "W-what are you-"

She was interrupted again when a hand closed around her throat, slamming her up against a tree, the scroll dangling from her now-dislocated arm.

"Well. In place of the freak I wanted to use, I got a whole new one." Something in his words caused something else to stir, deep within Naru's body…

"W-what?" Naru managed to choke out before she was thrown roughly to one side, the scroll landing once again on top of her.

The man who she'd once called sensei smirked down at her broken body evilly. "I've been planning this for almost ten years. I was going to use the Kyuubi brat, Naruto, but he disappeared over six years ago…" He paused, a small look of confusion flickering across his face. "Actually, you appeared very shortly after he disappeared… Weird coincidence…"

But Naru's mind was still stuck on 'Kyuubi brat, Naruto'. The something deep inside her was stirring even more fiercely now, and her uncomprehending thoughts were abruptly shattered by an ominous voice sounding off the inside of her head.

**Well… Shit...**

Naru wasn't quite sure what happened next. The next several minutes of her life were blotted out by a crimson haze, completely suppressed by her angry passenger. When she 'came to', she found herself once again in a severely chastised-looking Mizuki's grasp, as the man fought off what appeared to be several hundred clones of herself. Her throat was sore as he backed up against a tree, a kunai pressed against the real Naru's neck.

"You all can dispel yourselves now, seeing as how your original is about to die." The man said, pausing to spit out some blood as he cast a slightly crazed look at the clones he was now surrounded by.

"Bad move." The last words Mizuki would ever hear. A woman's voice, and a kunai knife emerging from a tree, slipping into the base of his skull with a sickening crunch…

Naru scrambled away as she felt Mizuki's grip loosen suddenly. She stared back at the man, terrified not only by what she'd just heard, but also by the horrible expression on the now-dead face of her captor. She fell backwards, still scrambling slightly, as her Kage Bunshin closed around her.

Mizuki slumped to the ground, and another person stood just behind where he had been.

"Naru-chan?"

When Naru recognised the voice, a fresh wave of fear splashed over her mind. "N-no! Stay away! I… I don't want to hurt you!"

Kurenai stepped forward, faltering when the Bunshin brandished their Kunai at her. "Naru? What's happened? Why did you-"

"I said NO!" She shouted, tears pouring down her face. "I won't let you get hurt! G-go HOME!" She scrambled back to her feet and fled, deeper into the forest.

"Naru!" Kurenai yelled after her, attempting to follow, only to be held back by several dozen Kage Bunshin. She struggled for a few minutes, refusing to use any real force against even the image of her adopted daughter. She was beginning to loose hope, when suddenly, the Bunshin vanished in a brief burst of smoke.

But Naru was long gone. She wouldn't be found until she wanted to be…

* * *

Sarutobi stared at the juonin who stood before him. He nodded thoughtfully, pondering over what he'd just been told. He leaned back in his chair, fiddling with his pipe and sighing. "I guess your son is the only solution to this problem… Very well, Shibi…"

* * *

Naru sat in the small cave, hugging her knees to herself as she wept openly. All of the details of her 'previous life' were rushing back into her mind, emerging from the dark corners of her subconscious where she'd locked them away.

"N-no wonder they all h-hated me…" She sniffed, her nervous shake returning for the first time in years. "I'm the Kyuubi…"

Well, not really…

Naru started, twisting around, looking for the source of the voice. "W-who's there?!"

**Actually, I'm technically neither here nor there, if you really think about it…** The voice said, a small amount of smugness evident in it's deep, rumbling voice. **But that is of no consequence. What ails you, child?**

"I-it's private…" She said quietly, still looking for the source of the voice.

**Come now, child.** The voice said, laughing slightly. **There's no reason to be so defensive. I may even be able to help you…**

Naru slumped back against the cave with a disbelieving laugh. "I doubt that very much."

**Oh, so you accept the words of a traitor as true, but won't listen to a voice in your head. Interesting policy…**

"What the hell do you know?" She shouted at the invisible person. "You have no right to judge me! You don't know who I am!"

**On the contrary, I know more about who you are than you do, Kazama Naruto, son of the Yondaime Hokage and container for the demon Kyuubi.**

Naru sat in shocked silence for a second. "H-how…?"

**Do I know?** The voice finished for her. **Simple. I am the aforementioned demon. Or, at least, I used to be…**

Naru's tears began anew as she sat on the muddy cave floor. "You…. You…" She said quietly, shaking terribly.

**Yes, me me. Now you're going to listen, and listen well.** The Kyuubi's voice suddenly took on a more forceful tone. None **of what happened is your fault in the least. You were chosen to contain me, and the villagers pass off their hatred of me onto you. It's completely irrational, and I apologise for that. My influence has deprived you of the life you should rightfully have lived. I can't excuse my actions, but there were reasons, which you'll come to know in time. As for you being a freak, well, if that makes you more comfortable with who you are, then all the power to ya. In conclusion, your transformation was something your own subconscious did, and so no, I can't help you. It's one of those things that only the original performer can undo. Just keep trying, and you'll get it eventually.** There was a brief pause, and the demon sighed. **You used too much of my chakra at once, I have to rest now. Try not to dwell on what you've just learned. If there's anything you want to know, just ask, and I'll answer, if it's within my limits…**

The demon's voice fell silent, leaving Naru to ponder its words in the silence of the cave. She sat for a long time, silently absorbing the meaning behind the Demon's blunt tirade. It seemed like hours before she finally came to a decision.

"Kyuubi." She said quietly.

**Yeah?** The demons voice sounded weaker than it had earlier, missing much of it's resonating 'boom'.

"You can make it up to me."

**What can I do, kit?**

"I'm not sure… But you gotta do it when I ask for it. 'Kay?"

There was a long pause, and Naru swore that she could _feel_ the demon stirring within her.

**Yeah. Sure, kit…**

"And…"

**Hmm?**

"I… I forgive you… For me, at least…"

Once again, she felt the demon shifting uneasily. **Thank you…** Was all it said, before they returned to their uncomfortable silence…

* * *

Shino looked up suddenly from his perch atop the Hokage building, his hands falling out of the seal he'd been holding. _Found you…

* * *

_

"Hey, Kyuubi?" Naru said suddenly, breaking the long silence.

**Yeah?**

"How come I can change my eyes now, but not before? And why can't I change the rest of me?"

The demon chuckled lightly at the question. **Well, the simplest explanation is that your eyes are only a small change, compared to the rest of you. And you gained the ability after tapping some of my power, didn't you?**

"Well, I guess so…" She said, shuddering at the memory of putting her fist through the back of the Iwa Nin's throat.

**You know, you don't have to speak out loud. I can hear your thoughts…** _Oh. Okay…_

**Thanks. Gets a little annoying when you think and speak the same thing at the same time.** The demon gave another laugh. **Anyway, every time you're forced to use my power, a little piece of my soul is permanently bonded to yours. So the more you use me…**

_The easier it gets to use your abilities…_ Naru finished. She caught a tiny feeling of amusement from her prisoner, but was interrupted before she could ask anything.

"Naru. Are you injured?"

Shino stood, half-crouched, at the mouth of the small, muddy cave. Light rain was beginning to fall. "N-no."

"Will you come out?"

"No…" She paused, squeezing her legs tighter. "Not yet…"

Shino's shoulders slumped slightly. He stepped into the low cave, removing his jacket from himself and draping it around Naru's shivering form. "Then I will stay with you until you are ready."

She looked at him in surprise. He leaned back against the damp wall, crossing his arms over his fishnet-covered chest. The enlarged pores on his arms and neck didn't bother her any more, but it was still odd seeing his whole face. "A-arigatou…" She stammered. He merely waved her off.

They sat in silence, listening to the rain getting steadily worse. How long they sat, neither could truly say afterwards. Their relationship had always been an odd one, a mix of respect and affection. They'd been good friends through the years, stemming, of course, from Shino's simple statement when they'd first met…

"No one should have to be alone when they're upset." His voice startled her by its suddenness. "I've said that before, yes?"

Naru smiled weakly. "You always know just what to say to make me feel better." She said, laughing quietly and leaning on his shoulder. "Thank you, Shino…Kun."

His responding eyebrow twitch was something that she'd learned to pick up on over the years. Shino displayed many emotions through the tiniest movements of his face, if you paid enough attention to it. The affectionate form of address surprised him.

"No prob…" He was cut off by a tiny snore, and he smiled. "…lem." He sighed, gently picking her up in his arms, making sure to secure his jacket around her still shivering body. Covering her head in his hood, he stepped out of the tiny cave, dug into the side of a rock pile atop the Hokage cliffs. As he walked out into the rain, he looked up into the dark clouds, wondering not for the first time exactly what he should do to help the girl in his arms.

He cared about her more than she'd ever know. (Which was probably because he'd never admit it, not even to Morino Ibiki.) He'd been her confidante and closest friend throughout his time at the academy, and she was one of only two girls his age that didn't constantly fawn over the stoic Uchiha Survivor. He'd felt sorry for her when she'd disappeared from class that day, after failing her gennin exam, and cursed himself for not tagging her with one of his bugs earlier. But there was nothing he could do about it now. He stepped out into the rain, shivering slightly as the cold water soaked through him almost instantly. Moving at top speed, he knew he could reach the Hospital in just over three minutes. But there was no need to rush. Naru was safe, and sleeping peacefully in his arms. He began the much longer walk, being careful not to jostle the slumbering girl.

It took him just over a half hour. He knew he was being watched, but he was more concerned with getting his friend to the hospital, where she could be taken care of. He gained many stares while he walked, shopkeepers and die-hard shoppers watching as he carried his unconscious package through the almost empty streets. He knew he'd done the right thing when he rounded the last corner, and the building came into view. A large group of people were standing in front of it, seemingly blocking him. But as he approached, they parted for him, becoming visible as many of the village's shinobi, chuunin and juonin alike. Just inside the doors, the Hokage and a nurse with a wheelchair greeted him. Gently placing her into the chair, Shino bowed to the Hokage, turning to leave without saying a word, causing the old man to smile.

"Wait! What about your jacket?" the nurse called after him.

"She can keep it." He said quietly, smiling slightly as he disappeared through the sheets of rain.

* * *

Once again, Naru woke to find herself surrounded by a sterile white room, and she groaned. The clock on the wall told her it was six AM, but of which day, she didn't know. Groaning, she twisted in the bed, rolling onto her side and pushing herself up, swaying slightly as the blood rushed out of her head.

"Augh. Sat up too fast…"

Glancing down at the chair that sat beside the bed, she blushed slightly as she realized that she was wearing only a hospital gown, seeing her clothes neatly folded there. She dressed quickly, pausing when she picked up something that was definitely not hers. "Shino…" She mumbled, smiling. Throwing the jacket about her shoulders, she quietly tiptoed to the door and slid it open. Peering out, she took in her surroundings quickly and walked down the hall to her left. Sitting on a bench in the waiting area just down the hall, she saw her family. Tenten was curled up next to Kakashi, both of them snoring lightly, slouched in his seat with one of his 'dirty' books laying on the seat beside him. Kurenai sat slightly off to the side, staring blankly ahead. She looked like she'd been crying recently, which caused a surge of guilt to rush through Naru.

Kurenai noticed the movement of someone coming down the hall, and was startled when she recognised the flash of purple. "Naru!" She exclaimed, rushing to her, but stopping short at the expression on her face. "What's wrong?"

Naru shifted uneasily. "I… I know about… It." She said, one hand absently going to her stomach, gripping her shirt. "I'm… I'm sorry for… Making you worry…" Her voice was quiet, but her distress was incredibly clear. "I was-"

She never finished. Kurenai collapsed to her knees, throwing her arms around Naru and pulling her in close. "I'm just glad you're safe now."

Naru's emotions were running away on her again, swirling around her head like a tornado. She embraced Kurenai back, holding on to her mother for all she was worth. "I never said it before now…" She said quietly, trembling with emotion. "But I… I…"

The words were harder to say than she thought they would be. Doubt and fear chewed on the edges of her mind as she took a deep breath. "I love you, Kaasan."

And life didn't seem quite so bad anymore when she heard her mother answer.

"I love you too, sweetie."

* * *

Aww…. tear

Alright, so here's the deal. I got halfway through this chapter when I realized something. And the outcome of thet something shocked me: I've been writing this story as NaruShino the whole time, and never realized it, so I'm officially (**AND FINALLY, ONCE AND FOR ALL, FOR BETTER OR WORSE**) Declaring this as Naruto(fem)/Shino. I hope this doesn't discourage too many of my readers from continuing to follow the story, but I'll understand, nonetheless…

Reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated. And thanks to several of my reviewers for bringing up some key points for me. (You know who you are…)

-E. Red


	8. A Breif Reprieve

**Chapter 7: A Breif Reprieve**

Naru picked at her breakfast, sitting dejectedly at the table in her nightgown. She'd not gotten any sleep since she'd come home from the hospital. She'd sat up all night, upset at failing the exam. When she'd talked to Kurenai about it, Kaasan had just gotten a strange smile on her face and told her to try and forget about it. That it would work out in the end…

She pushed the bowl away, sighing as she stood up. _I'm gonna go to bed and sleep the rest of the day away…_

At least, that was what she thought she was going to do. She barely had time to start brushing her teeth before there was a knock at the front door. She pulled open the door, squinting into the early morning sun.

"Huh? Ojiisan?" She said, blinking in surprise. "Why're you here?"

The old man smiled at her. "Good morning to you too, Naru."

She scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Heh, gomen." She said, blushing. "Would you like to come inside? I think there's still some tea left over from my breakfast…"

The Sandaime laughed. "Certainly."

When the two of them were seated in the living room several minutes later (Naru had run to put on a white tee shirt and black shorts, shifting her eyes back to their natural blue), Naru spoke again. "You're here about yesterday, right?" He nodded at her, and she sighed. "I'm sorry for taking the scroll. Mizuki… He said he'd pass me if I did." She refused to call him sensei, after what he'd done to her.

The Hokage smiled kindly. "Well, that was the only piece of information I really needed. The 'why'."

Naru perked up noticeably at that. "Really? You mean I'm not in trouble?"

He shook his head. "If students can not trust their teachers, then can we blame them for their actions?" He paused, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Though I do expect better from you, from now on. Got it?" She nodded, smiling widely. "Well, now that that's settled, I hear you've learned a new technique…?"

"Nope!" Naru replied, beaming at his obviously confused expression. "I learned two!"

Now he was shocked. "Two!? What was the second one?"

"I'll show you, Ojiisan!" She said happily, hopping up from her seat. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as her hands flickered through two dozen hand seals. "Ninpo-"

That was as far as she got before the Hokage stopped her, pressing his hand gently but firmly on her head. His face had gone pale when he'd recognised the sequence of hand seals she'd used. "Naru." He said quietly. "I want you to promise me that you'll _never_ use that jutsu, unless it's absolutely your only option. Do you understand?"

She stared up at him, stricken by the serious tone in his voice. "H-hai, Ojiisan…" She said quietly, feeling ashamed for some reason.

A reason which was quickly forgotten. "Well, since you've shown so much promise in such a small span of time, I think I may have something for you…" He smiled at her, a mischievous twinkle appearing in his eyes.

Naru lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really? What!?"

"Close your eyes for a second." She complied, and heard a slight shuffling of the Sandaime's robes, before she felt something made of cloth and metal being pressed into her hand. "Okay. You can look now."

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the huge grin on the old man's face. Looking at what he'd pressed into her hand, she did a small double-take. It was an old, scratched up Konoha Hitai-ite.

"Congratulations on becoming Konoha's newest gennin, Ms. Kazama." The Hokage said with barely suppressed laughter. "What you hold in your hand is my very first Hitai-ite, given to me by the Nidaime himself for my graduation." He gently took it out of her hand, tying it around her forehead. "Wear it with pride." He said smiling at her.

"I… I pass?" Was all she could manage to say.

He laughed. "Of course you do. You've demonstrated the ability to use not one, but _two_ ninjutsu that most Juonin can't perform." He didn't mention that she'd not actually demonstrated the second.

Naru's wild emotions got the better of her again, and she began to cry joyful tears. "Thank you, Ojiisan!" She cried, hugging the old man as he laughed.

"Now, I think you have a meeting to get ready for. Am I right?" He said, amused.

She gasped. "You're right! I gotta get ready for my last day of school!" And with that, she disappeared, leaving a laughing Hokage alone in the den.

Sarutobi sipped at the tea he'd been given, trying not to laugh as he heard the shower running and the soft slaps of bare feet on the wooden floor of the hallway. He sat alone for only a minute more before he sighed. "Good morning, Kurenai."

"Tsch." Came a small noise out of nowhere. There was a slight shimmer, and Kurenai's body appeared out of nowhere. "Thought I had it that time…" She muttered. But she was smiling radiantly all the same. "So what can _I_ do for you, Hokage-sama?" She asked, sitting down across from him.

He gave her a small smile. "Given the unexpected turn of events yesterday, I'm wondering if I'll have to change the team setup…"

She blinked at him in confusion. "Why would that be necessary?"

He smiled a little wider. "I just don't want you to get distracted, thinking about your daughter on the job."

Kurenai had the good graces to at least blush, embarrassed. "You're remarkably well-informed about my personal life, Hokage-sama." She paused, leaning forward and whispering. "It's a little creepy, to be honest."

"One does one's best…" He said slyly.

Kurenai smirked. "But I disagree with your assumption. As much as it pains me to admit it, I trust Kakashi to keep her from harm."

Sarutobi nodded, glad to have that out of the way. The pair of them made small talk for the better part of half an hour. They were interrupted, however, when Naru zoomed past the room, dressed in an orange and blue jumpsuit ((A/N: HAH! Bet you didn't see that coming!)) and wearing her 'new' Hitai-ite, hopping up and down as she pulled on a pair of sandals on the run.

"Naru!" Kurenai called, standing up. She was rewarded with a slight crashing sound. Naru's head peeked around the corner. "Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?"

She sighed comically, rolling her eyes. She shuffled into the room and embraced Kurenai, who smiled and gave her a small kiss on the nose, making her giggle. "G'bye, Kaasan. I'll see you after the meeting…" She sped out the door after a small bow to the Hokage, leaving the pair alone again.

* * *

Naru was the first to arrive at the academy, earning herself a look of surprise from Iruka. He noticed the Hitai-ite she was wearing, and asked where she'd gotten it. (He'd wanted to give her his when he was told that she would be graduating due to the events of the previous night) She merely smiled at him. "Himitsu. (Secret)"

She selected a seat at random, slumping into it and laying her head on the desk, resolving to take a nap until there was somebody to talk to. She didn't have to wait long, however, as the usual early students began to filter into the room less than ten minutes later. She felt somebody sit down next to her, and she groaned internally when she realized who it was.

"Would you mind moving, Sasuke?" She asked, not even looking up. "I'm quite comfortable where I am, and I'd rather not have to deal with a horde of raving fangirls this early in the morning…"

He didn't even glance at her. "Hn. Get over it. You're the one who sat next to my usual seat."

She sighed, and was about to retort when the ground started to shake. A dozen gibbering female voices approached the classroom at a blistering pace, spearheaded by the two worst offenders of the Sasuke Fan Club™, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino.

The twin terrors screeched to a halt when they saw who was sitting beside their 'Precious Sasuke-kun', and both seemingly forgot about each other. "THAT'S MY SEAT, NARU!" They roared in unison, both of them grabbing her by the collar and tossing her roughly into the aisle. This action rekindled their argument as to who deserved the seat more, and they grew rapidly more and more animated as they shouted their love for Sasuke to the world.

Completely unnoticed, Naru hopped up on the desk in front of Sasuke, glaring at him angrily as she rubbed the arm that she had landed on. "You know, you're part of the problem, teme." She said, glancing at the arguing kunoichi. "I really couldn't care any less about you, but they don't deserve to be completely ignored, however annoying they are. If you'd just pay a little attention to them, maybe they'd leave you alo-"

It was at this point that the student in the row in front of them decided to lean back in his seat, bumping into Naru's backside with his head. "Oh, sorry…"

The room went deadly silent as Uchiha Sasuke, the year's top rookie and resident 'Ice-cold teme' slash heartthrob received his first kiss from a girl.

That second seemed to stretch into an eternity, in Naru's mind. An eternity that blotted out everything else in existence, with the sole exception of her lips and his.

Time resumed it's normal progression with a "pop!", and Naru immediately rolled off of the desk, gagging violently.

Sasuke however, just sat there, frozen, with a slight blush developing in his cheeks…

"**RRRRREEEEEEAAAHHHHH!!!"**

The anguished cries of numerous kunoichi split the calm morning air like an axe splitting wood. Naru staggered to the other side of the room, still gagging, and fell to the floor. She glanced up as the door slid open, revealing a very confused Hyuuga Hinata. Naru reached up, clamping a hand around one of her arms. "Please… Kill me…"

Hinata stared at her, confused. "Nani?"

Naru only groaned as she felt a dozen pairs of eyes glaring daggers into her back. "Ugh… Never mind, Hinata…" She stood up slowly, sliding into a seat next to a surprisingly animated Shino. She glared at him as he made tiny, strangled noises. "S'not funny." She all but growled.

"Alright, everybody settle down," Iruka said from the front of the room. He looked pointedly at Naru. "And I mean _everybody_." He smirked at the dirty look that she gave him. "Congratulations, once again, to all of you. You are now officially Gennin of Konoha.." He paused as a few of the students cheered, before continuing. "I will now divide you into three-man cells. Your teammates will be the most important people in your lives for the next several years, so try to get along with them…"

He pulled out a clipboard, clearing his throat and calling out names. Naru's attention wandered off for a few minutes, until she heard:

"Team seven. Kazama Naru…" She perked up, listening intently. "Uchiha Sasuke…" Her face fell. "And Haruno Sakura." Her face fell further, as said kunoichi let out a squeal of delight.

_Great. The stuck up asshole and his biggest groupie… I think I'll just kill myself now… Save me the trouble…_ She sat there, groaning over her fate as Iruka finished calling the rosters.

"You're all dismissed for an extended lunch break. Your Juonin senseis will be here in two hours to pick you up."

As the rest of the class filed out of the room, chatting excitedly, Naru remained slumped in her seat, Iruka's statement about her teammates ringing in her ears. _"…Next several years… Several years… Several years…"_

"AARGH!" She screamed, slamming her head against the desk. "This sucks!"

"…" Came the response from the door.

Naru stood slowly, shuffling out beside Shino, who'd waited for her to finish feeling sorry for herself. The two friends silently left the building, heading for the best Ramen stand in the village…

* * *

Well, I'm gonna put this chapter out right now. I've left it at this point for like a week, not knowing how to transition to the next scene, so I'm gonna put it out for y'all and start the next chapter fresh. Hope you enjoyed it, even though it was just a quickie… -E. Red 


	9. Short Introductions

**Chapter 8: Short Introductions**

"Well… My first impression of you guys is… I don't like you."

_I should have guessed after the second hour…_ Naru rubbed her temples, mentally cursing whichever god or demon had cursed her day.

**Well, it wasn't me…** An amused sounding voice said, echoing through her thoughts.

_Shut up. I'm not ready to deal with you yet._ She replied shortly, standing up and following Kakashi out of the classroom. She flopped onto the ground leaning back against the seat of the bench on the balcony with a slight sigh.

"So. Let's get to know each other a little, shall we? Names, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams. That kind of thing…" Kakashi said, cocking his head to one side jauntily.

"You first." Naru said, rolling her eyes at the charade.

Kakashi's visible eyebrow twitched ever so slightly upwards. _Hmm… Wonder what's bothering her… _"Fair enough. My name is Hatake Kakashi, and I see no reason to tell you my likes and dislikes. My hobbies… Hmm…"

_Reading porn and ogling at Kaasan when you think nobody's watching…_ Naru thought, her own eyebrows twitching even less perceptibly. (After all, she learned from an Aburame…)

"Well, I don't really have any dreams…"

_None that are socially acceptable, at least…_

Kakashi's gaze shifted to Naru, and he gave her an extremely small visual cue. She sighed again, before speaking.

"I'm Kazama Naru. I like my sister and mother, painting and training. I dislike people who refuse to admit that they have a problem or need help, or think they're better than everybody else." She paused, taking a breath to calm down. "As for my dreams, well, they're my own, and I don't feel like sharing them."

Kakashi felt a slight sting from her words, resolving to talk to her about it later. _Back to the entertainment, for now…_ "You next, pinky." He said, trying not to laugh out loud at the glare he received in return.

Naru largely tuned out her teammates introductions, only rolling her eyes and twirling her finger in a 'whoop-dee-doo' gesture when Sakura declared "I hate Naru!"

Even Kakashi's 66 percent failure rate didn't phase her out of her funk. Something was bothering her, and she couldn't quite explain exactly what it was. She felt a little sick to her stomach, but as Kakashi continued talking, she began to feel more and more apprehensive. She couldn't help but think that something was terribly wrong.

**You're not wrong for thinking that, kid…** The demon's voice said suddenly, wrenching her away from her thoughts. 

_What's going on, fox?_ She asked warily. _What is this feeling?_

**Well… Ahem … It's probably my fault…** The demon sounded almost guilty for the briefest of moments as it continued. **You're feeling… It might be a warning… It might just be a feeling, at that, but… Well… I know you don't trust me, but you should trust your own gut, at least…**

Naru frowned, both externally and internally. _Something terrible is coming… I… I know it…

* * *

_

Kakashi frowned as he watched the trio disperse. Sakura at least was measuring up to his guess, proving to be just as boy-crazy as he'd thought. Sasuke was a lot more traumatized by his past than projected, seemingly having focused his entire life towards avenging his clan. Understandable? Yes. Safe? Most definitely not.

But Kakashi's biggest worry came from Naru. She was seemed to be unusually downcast today, and he couldn't figure out why. His relationship with her was tenuous at best, but he really did care, and it hurt him to see her like that. He watched her walking off, by herself, and he steeled his resolve...

* * *

Naru turned the corner, absently kicking at a loose rock, which sailed into the air, landing with a resounding smack in someone's hand. Naru blinked up in surprise for a second, before her face returned to its former brooding expression. "What do you want?" 

Kakashi's visible eyebrow arched significantly. "Must there always be a want involved?" He asked, quirking his head to the side.

Naru sighed as she pushed past him. "Then just leave me alone."

She heard him sputter something, but ignored it. "What's wrong, Naru?" He asked, following her.

"It's none of your business. Now go away."

She spun and blocked when she felt his hand on her shoulder, knocking it aside. "Naru…" He began.

"No! You can't help me, so why won't you stop trying?!" She shouted, drawing a few curious glances from all around. She spun around once again, running off into the crowd, leaving a dumbstruck Kakashi behind.

* * *

For the second time in as many days, Aburame Shino found himself frowning about something, and, once again, it was Naru. The girl had nearly run him over when she'd sped past, but he nonetheless caught the upset look she had on her face. He'd followed her at a distance, unsure of how to proceed. And now she'd stopped curling up at the base of a tree in the woods, sobbing quietly to herself. 

His mind, which had never failed him before, was working on overdrive in its attempt to rationalize the situation. When Naru and Sasuke had inadvertently kissed earlier today, he'd been caught between amusement, anger and, to his surprise, jealousy. When they'd gone for lunch, he'd noticed that she hadn't quite been herself, but figured that she'd bring it up on her own if it was important. Now, however, all of Shino's instincts were telling him that he needed to help her, while his mind was telling him that he needed to let her work it out for herself.

He turned to leave, resolving to bring Kurenai-sensei as soon as he could, when he was stopped by her voice.

"Please… Don't go…"

Shino turned to see a tear-stained face staring back at him. The light that usually danced in Naru's blue eyes had all but vanished, and Shino felt a twinge in his chest as he slowly approached her. He scarcely had time to sit down before she'd buried her face in his coat, sobbing.

And, once again, he had no idea how long they sat there. Time seemed to bend whenever Naru was involved, Shino noticed. But, after a while, Naru began to speak. Slowly, shakily, she told him about how her teammates had reacted to her, how they'd both completely ignored her for the entire wait for their instructor. She sobbed out her heart to him, telling her about all the things she'd been upset or bothered by over the academy years, along with all of the good times and happy memories that she'd gathered, until, though he was loathe to do it, Shino interrupted her.

"Why are you telling me all this? Why now?" He asked impassively, though he was sure she could see his concern.

"Because…" She replied haltingly, looking straight through his eyes and his soul with her shining blue eyes. "Because I think something bad is coming…" She hugged him tighter, shaking slightly. "Something bad is gonna happen to me, and I don't know what to do…"

Shino was taken aback. Certainly the concept of premonitions was not foreign to him, as the Yamanaka clan was known for producing a prominent seer every few generations, but Naru? It didn't seem possible…

"I... I have to tell somebody… So they don't forget me…" She whispered.

* * *

Were a stranger to open the storybook of Naru's mind, they would be hard pressed to see through the chaos of her thoughts. Memories of happy days with her sister flickered next to memories of the orphanage, and the matron's threats. Images of horrible beatings and terrible deeds flashed over thoughts of lazy school days and her peers at the academy. 

But around all of these images flowed the feeling of constant fear. Naru's fears were far too numerous for any normal person to feel, and that is why she hid them as best she could from the rest of the world.

Sadly, she was far from normal…

In one corner of her mind, a five year old boy feared for his life. He was afraid of shinobi, adults, other children, pipes, knives, broken glass, and any other implement that could cause him bodily harm.

Just opposite him, a girl of twelve feared for her adopted family. Feared that they would be hurt, that they would stop caring about her. Feared that they were only pretending, despite their assurances otherwise. Irrational fears, maybe, but real enough to warrant her attention.

But in the space between, where their fears and thoughts and feelings merged into one, was the single, glaring fear of futility. The fear that nobody would care if she disappeared. That nobody would remember, let alone miss, her. And that, coupled with this new growing unknown feeling, had pushed her over the edge and into despair.

* * *

Naru felt the terrible coldness in the back of her mind that had been growing slowly since the meeting that afternoon shudder slightly. She buried her face back into Shino's jacket, trying to fight back against her fears as they sat there. 

"Forget you?" Shino's voice carried a tone that anybody could interpret as concerned, a rather stark contrast to the usual Aburame stoicism. "How could you think that?"

Naru felt him moving one of his arms, and she looked up at him. She was profoundly shocked when, rather than the expected blackglasses, she found herself staring into a pair of breathtaking grey eyes, eyes that glittered with sincerity.

"Even were you to blink out of existence right now, I for one would never forget you." Shino's eyebrows were furrowed in concern. "Nor would your family, or your other friends. Why would you believe otherwise?"

Naru felt extremely uncomfortable, staring into those eyes. They seemed to tear down all of her defences, looking straight into her core. And that scared her…

"I…" She stuttered, pushing away from him. "I don't know…"

Confusion flickered into his eyes, and her resolve finally gave in. She turned and fled deeper into the woods without another word.

* * *

A.N.: Okay, I'm doing the same thing for this as I did for my other story. It's been so long since I've worked on the story that I'm going to post this as a filler chapter, and start with a clean slate. Sorry for both taking so long, and not posting a full chapter, but them's the breaks. When you've got as much going on as I do, you find it hard to make time for FFing… Also, there is a reason for all the Emo-Naru stuff, so bear with it for a while please... I'm trying to get back to my original projected storyboard, and it my come off as a little ungraceful... 


	10. Life, Changing

**Chapter 9: Life, Changing**

In the few startled seconds that Shino allowed himself, Naru disappeared from sight. He cursed out loud, something that had rarely, if ever, happened before. There was no catching her now. Even the Inuzuka clan couldn't find Naru if she didn't want to be found.

Shino shook his head, trying to clear away all of the thoughts that were screening his mind, and put his glasses back on, frowning. What was the best course of action to take? What could cause Naru, the normally happy, unshakeable Naru, to react in such a manner?

He sighed as he left the forest, absently sending a 'messenger' to inform his father that he would be out late, and not to worry. The Hokage's tower was a half hour walk away, and Shino needed to think…

* * *

Tenten was sweating when she finally got home. Gai –Sensei had pushed his team nearly to the edge when he found out that his "Eternal rival Kakashi" had been put in charge of "A most unfortunate team of new gennin" whose "Fires of youth were sure to be quenched by his hip, modern attitude".

In short, he was worried about getting shown up.

She essentially fell onto the front porch, panting slightly as she stared up into the sky. _I wonder how Naru's handling the news…_ She was usually out of the house by the time Naru woke up, and she hadn't had a chance to talk with her about the exam. Kurenai had told her that Naru had failed, and she wasn't doing too well.

Tenten lay there for a few minutes, catching her breath, before she finally decided to go inside and get something to eat. "Hey Naru! You around?" She called as she entered the house.

She heard no reply, so she stuck her head into her sister's room, making a face when she couldn't find her. _Maybe she went out…_ She shrugged it off and quickly got into the shower. If Naru was well enough to go out into public, then she didn't need to worry about her…

* * *

Kurenai noticed the frown that Kakashi was wearing (even through his mask) as he entered the juonin lounge. He'd evidently let his team go for the day, as she had a few hours ago. _Perils of being tardy, I guess…_

"What's with the frown?" She asked him when he slumped onto the sofa across from her.

"I'm not sure…" He replied slowly, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. "Did you notice anything… Off, with Naru this morning?"

Kurenai closed the profile folders she'd been reading, eyeing him curiously. "No… Why? Did she say something?"

"It's more like she refused to say something…" He replied, giving her the abbreviated details of what had happened. "…And you know how she is. Once she gets away, she won't be found until she wants to be." He shook his head, rubbing his temples slightly.

Kurenai blinked, biting her lip in concern. "What could have made her react like that? It couldn't be… _It_, could it?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't think so. It's chakra feels different. All I felt was hers…"

Kurenai's worried thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She was surprised to find one of her gennin on the other side. "Shino? What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you, Kurenai-Sensei." The boy responded, his flat tone giving nothing away. "I've just had an… interesting conversation with Naru, and I felt it best that you be informed as to the outcome of said conversation…"

Kurenai was mildly irritated by the boy's precise manner of speech, but she would tolerate it. All that really mattered right now was what he said, not how he said it. She gestured him inside, closing the door behind him. "What happened?" She asked when she'd returned to her seat.

Shino let an eyebrow twitch above his glasses as he responded. "Naru ran past me in the marketplace about four hours ago, visibly upset. I was… concerned…" Kurenai noticed the tiniest tinge of pink touching the gennin's cheeks as he continued. "So I followed her into the forest. We sat for a time in silence, until she began to tell me… Well, many things, actually… She spoke to me in confidence, so I will not repeat what she said, but she made it clear that she could… _feel_ that something bad was about to happen to her…"

Kurenai had resumed chewing on her lip by this time, and glanced at Kakashi worriedly as Shino finished. "She disappeared into the woods shortly after."

There was a long pause as the two juonin absorbed the new information. Kurenai barely heard Kakashi dismiss Shino, she was so absorbed in trying to figure the situation out. "What can we do?" She asked quietly, looking up.

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't think that there's anything we can do. Not until we've spoken to her about this…" He trailed off, gazing out the window at the late afternoon sky. "We just have to trust that she'll tell us…"

* * *

In fact, Naru was ready to do just that. It had taken the better part of an hour to calm down, but when she had, she finally accepted the problem she was really facing. Her fear of being forgotten.

Five-year-old Uzumaki Naruto had agreed to 'pretend' to be a girl, until he could change back. But which life was more real? The almost six years of horrible treatment? The ridicule and torment that Naruto had faced? Or the six years of kindness that Naru had experienced? The love and care of a foster family, and the admiration of the villagers as the heir to the Yondaime?

She couldn't make that decision. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see the answer, and brought frustrated tears into her eyes. Should Naruto be forgotten, or should Naru? Neither could truly live while the other did, and one would have to 'die' eventually…

Somehow, she managed to get home without breaking down. The forest suddenly blurred into the peaceful district that housed the Kazama home, and Naru slumped against a pillar on the porch, physically and emotionally exhausted. She must have dozed off, because the next time she looked, the stars were out, and she had a heavy blanket draped around her.

Stretching her stiff shoulders, she yawned widely. The door behind her slid open quietly, and Kakashi stepped out, carrying a mug of tea and a neutral expression with him. He handed her the mug and sat down against the opposite pillar, watching her silently.

She squirmed under his gaze, not sure exactly what to say. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier… I'm not having the greatest day…"

He nodded, slouching a little more. "I can tell." _Do you want to talk about it?_ The unspoken question hung in Naru's mind.

"I…" She began, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. "When you first found me… Back when I was still Naruto… I told Kaasan that I'd pretend to be a real girl. At least until I figured out how to change back… But if I do change back…"

"Nobody will recognise you." Kakashi finished, his shocked tone betraying what his mask hid. "You're afraid that everybody will go back to hating you if you return to your original form…"

Naru nodded sullenly, hanging her head to avoid his gaze. "I… I don't know what to do…"

Kakashi moved closer to her, offering his arm. She scooted over next to him, recognising the gesture from the few previous times in their relationship that he'd tried to be a father figure, and leaned against his chest, smiling a tiny, sad smile when his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"There's not much I can say that'll help you with this one" He said, gazing up into the star-studded night sky. "You're the only person who can make the decision. But no matter what you choose, you'll still have the Sandaime, Kurenai, Tenten and I, at the very least. We'll support you no matter what." He paused, scratching his chin. "At least, I think Tenten will be okay with it… I'm not sure how she'll react when she finds out she's been lending her clothes to a boy for the last six years…"

She elbowed him, smiling at the grunting laugh she got in return. _At least I don't have to choose today…_

She held onto that thought as the exhaustion of the day caught up with her again, and she gradually drifted back to sleep, listening to the sound of Kakashi breathing…

* * *

Sasuke couldn't sleep. And for the first time in years, it wasn't for the usual reason. His mind, plagued though it was by the images of that night, was racing at a speed he'd never thought attainable in its attempt to answer the question that was keeping him awake.

How would he deal with Kazama Naru?

Years of trial and error had taught him how to ignore those who annoyed him, his fan club being the chief offenders. And yet, one girl who didn't raise him up onto a golden pedestal, who had as much as told him straight to his face that she didn't care who he was or what he did, had single-handedly shattered everything he'd worked towards.

The kiss didn't help any, either, accidental though it was…

His entire goal of revenge had collapsed when she'd done that. The images of his brother's death by his hands had faded, withering away into empty voids.

And he had no idea why…

* * *

Kakashi collapsed into the couch, tearing his forehead protector off and throwing it across the room in disgust. Kurenai stared at him over the top of the mug she was gripping, white-knuckled. "Well? What's going on?" She asked in a strained voice.

"Oh, nothing really." Kakashi spat angrily. "She's just hitting puberty, that's all."

Kurenai was confused, and her tone expressed as much. "And you're not telling me what?"

"Kazama family, Kurenai." He said, rubbing his temples. "Kazama _clan_…"

Kurenai stared at him for a second before it clicked. "You don't mean…"

Kakashi nodded sullenly. "Kekkei Genkai. Naru's bloodline limit is becoming active." He sighed, bringing his hand to his temples. "From what little I remember, the Kazama bloodline runs stronger in the females of the clan. They inherit a greater form of what sensei had. As for exactly what it does… I have no real idea…"

((A/N: Just to let you all know, I almost left it off here. But I kept writing against my cliffhanging gene. I hope you're all happy…))

* * *

**All things in life are met with the same mindset when experienced for the first time. Apprehension, and curiosity. But in some cases, these feelings only appear for the briefest of moments, and then they vanish, replaced instead by far more powerful ones.**

**In days of old, when the world was young, the One created the Nine, and tasked them… Tasked us, rather, with the duty of watching over the fledgling world as it grew into its maturity.**

**I have been known as many things in my time. Lord. Mother. Sister. Friend. I have been seen as a god, and as a saviour, and even as the manifestation of natures own will. But, most recently, the creatures of the world I was tasked with watching over have found new names for me.**

**Biju. Demon. Beast.**

**I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the nine-tailed fox, strongest of the Nine Guardians.**

**As I told the illusionist, there were reasons behind the action that earned me my latest group on names. Reasons that are my own, and shall remain so. Reasons that I'm quite happy to keep to myself until the day my soul is finally released to rejoin the One…**

**My container knows nothing of me but that which I have spoken to h… Her, I guess would be the appropriate word. That, too, is more than likely due to my presence… Each of us Nine had a preferred form, one that we used for everyday comings and goings, you see…**

**It is odd, recalling the things that one experiences in eons past. The people that I watched over and befriended called me their 'Child-Goddess'. And now, my preferred form has been thrust upon another, and an internal battle between what should be and what _is_ rages within the heart, mind and soul of a complete innocent. One who was condemned by my moment of madness.**

**The madness of a man is a terrible thing. But the madness of one such as I? The madness of a so-called 'God'? The very fibre of the world was shaken by my wrath at that moment, when the atrocity was committed…**

**My soul quakes once again, my mind returning, inching ever closer to the brink of madness as I watch the internal struggle that I have thrust upon the innocent soul of the person who used to be Uzumaki Naruto. I weep for the hardships that he would have had to endure, and at those that _she_ will have to endure in his stead, for though they are fewer in number, they are far greater in scale…**

**Fate, it seems, has not forgotten her sense of duty. I shall be having a long discussion with her when next we meet…**

**But for now, as my unwilling host lay sleeping, I can do naught but hope. And pray. And wait for the morning to come again…

* * *

**

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE- CRASH!**

Great… Now I need a new alarm clock… 

Naru groaned as she sat up in bed, not recalling exactly how she had gotten there. Her alarm had woken her up an hour earlier than usual, for some reason… _Why did I…?_

She bit off the thought with another groan. Gennin final exam with Kakashi… _Eurgh…_

Indeed, 'Eurgh' just about summed up exactly how Naru felt at that moment. She blindly stumbled into the shower, turning the heat up as high as she could stand in an attempt to wake up.

Half an hour later, she was dressed and had her gear ready to go as she slumped into the kitchen and absently started making some breakfast, idly recalling that Kakashi had specifically recommended against eating. So she made a full, balanced breakfast and chowed down. Naturally…

She was just finishing the cleanup when movement by the door caught her eye. "Naru? What are you doing up so early?"

"Test today, Kaasan." She replied with a grin.

Glancing up at the clock, she guessed that she was supposed to be at the training ground almost an hour ago. In Kakashi time, however, she was still at least a half hour early by the time she arrived. Her two teammates glared at her when she showed up, but their glares quickly faded when she tossed them each a bag filled with food.

"I figured you guys would take him seriously." She said flatly, leaning against one of three stumps that jutted up from the ground. "What kind of test can be easier on an empty stomach, that's my question…" If the pair had any complaints, they kept them to themselves as they ate.

* * *

In a tree overlooking the clearing, Kakashi smiled to himself. _Good girl…But are you ready for what comes next?_

The leaves in the field swirled slightly as he _poofed_ into view. "Yo." He greeted the three of them, waving.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura bellowed angrily.

"So was Naru!" He said childishly, and she rolled her eyes in response. "Anyway, let's get right down to business." He placed the alarm clock on top of the nearest post, and pulled the pair of silver bells out of his pocket. He explained the rules of the bell test, grinning when Sakura noticed that there were only two bells for three students.

"Yep. That means that at least one of you will fail. Helps weed out the undesireables." He said nonchalantly. Without any further warning, he reached over and smacked the timer on. "The exam just started, kiddies. You've got until noon."

Immediately the three gennin-to-be scattered into the forest, leaving Kakashi to stand alone in the breeze, chuckling slightly.

* * *

Sasuke stared at his target, running the scenario through his mind. _Two bells, three of us. Why put us in three-man teams just to split us up? I know I'll get one, but I really don't want either of those annoying girls on my team. They'll just distract me with their incessant fawning, and grovelling, and hot bodies, and…_ Sasuke shook his head. _Where the hell did that come from? Focus, Uchiha. Pass the test, get stronger, kill Ita- Damn. Can't even **think** it now. What the hell did Naru do to me?_ All these thoughts and more sped across the confused boy's conciousness as he waited for his moment to strike…

* * *

Sakura peered through the trees, watching Kakashi intently. _Sasuke-Kun will definitely get one of those bells, so all I have to do is make sure I get the other one before Naru does… **Hell yeah! Keep that skank away from my man!** Hey, where'd she go anyway?

* * *

_

Naru looked up, opening her eyes as she finished her mental preparation. Unbeknownst to her, her 'passenger' was marvelling once again at the difference between what was and what should have been. She tightened the strap on the backs of her fingerless gloves and adjusted her jumpsuit. _Hmm… Perhaps orange was a bad choice for today…_ She shrugged, pulling a telescoping metal staff out of its holster on her belt and clicking it to its full length of seven feet. She gave a few experimental twirls, bringing it down on a dead branch, which shattered with a satisfying cracking noise.

She leapt off into the trees, and burst out into the clearing in just a few seconds, landing gracefully on the balls of her feet and standing up straight, staring at her sensei and guardian with an oddly blank expression.

Said man looked at her a little disdainfully. "Not so good at the whole hiding thing today, Naru-chan." He said, idly scratching the back of his head.

She grinned in response. "Nope. Don't really feel like it, Ero-sensei." She spun the staff once, tucking it up under her arm and pulling her heels together, offering a stiff, formal bow. "I think that all you really want me to prove is that I can take care of myself now." The staff made a slight thrumming noise as she began to spin it in one hand, sinking into a low charging stance. "So get ready. You'll se what I've learned."

The ground beneath her buckled slightly and exploded into a cloud of dust as she sprang into action, closing the distance between the two of them in seconds. Kakashi was only mildly surprised by the amount of speed she displayed, and he easily ducked under the first powerful stroke of the metallic weapon.

He wasn't quite as prepared for the foot that slammed into the side of his head, however.

He spun backwards with the momentum of the strike, flipping off his hands and coming to rest several feet away in a slightly more battle-ready stance. His visible eye widened slightly, staring unbelievably at his dependant. "A modified **Leaf Whirlwind**? They don't teach that at the academy." He observed warily.

She smirked at him, standing up straight and planting the butt of the weapon into the ground. "Guess I must've picked it up elsewhere. Point?"

Kakashi shook his head. _Damnit, Gai.… My kingdom for some aspirin…_ "Aye. Point." He agreed grudgingly. "Again?"

She smirked. "Sure. Why not." She spun the pole again and dashed straight forwards, sweeping in towards Kakashi. He was somewhat prepared this time, and jumped over the sweep to avoid it.

Yet again, Naru pulled something off on the fly, slamming the tip of the staff into the ground and vaulting straight up towards Kakashi's airborne body, spinning into an axe kick and propelling her guardian headfirst into the ground, causing an eruption of dust and grass.

Landing with a flourish, Naru heard clapping from just behind her, and she sighed. "**Kawarimi**…" She said, sighing. Indeed, when the dust settled, there was what appeared to be a large log in the impact crater. "That's nor fair, Kakashi!" She shouted angrily.

"I'm a ninja. I cheat." He said from his perch in the trees. "Now let's see your defensive skills." His words were punctuated by a slight whirring noise, and Naru just managed to twist in time to avoid the hail of shuriken that thudded into the ground around her.

Kakashi was on her in a flash, sweeping her legs out from under her in one smooth motion. She twisted again in mid fall, snapping one leg straight up as she landed on her hands. She barely missed her teacher's chin, but it was enough to make him rethink his plan of attack. He grabbed her ankle and pulled, putting his entire body into one throwing motion, and Naru quickly found herself flying through the air. She landed a good twenty feet away, bouncing twice before she rolled painfully to a stop.

It took her a minute to catch her breath ant climb shakily to her feet. She could feel that her shoulder was dislocated, and the warm trickle of blood running down the outside of her leg told her that she'd bounced off a sharp rock in the fall. She stared across the field at Kakashi, bloody murder shining in her eyes. "That _hurt_, you ass!"

"Heh. Improvisation, and adaptation. Good. You just need to work on your judgement. Lesson one: Taijutsu. Now let's see if you can handle lesson two…" His hands flickered into a seal, and his body disintegrated into a swirl of leaves, which blew into the forest and out of sight.

Naru frowned. _Guh… I'm gonna burn all his masks tonight…_ She quickly scanned the clearing once more, and, finding nothing of interest, leapt back into the woods.

* * *

Sakura stared, slack jawed, at the now empty field. _**What the hell was THAT?! **I had no idea Naru was that good! She never did any of the schoolwork in class! **Damn, girl! You better get to work, or that hussie **will** get Sasuke before we do!**_"Right! I'll just go and find Sasuke, and we'll pass this test easily!" She said out loud.

"Oh, I think you should worry about yourself first." A voice said from behind her.

She turned sharply, and managed to catch a glimpse of something metal before the world bled into darkness, and she fell…

* * *

Sasuke heard a scream from somewhere off in the forest, and he turned towards it. _That sounded like Sakura. Which means Kakashi's found her._ His eyes narrowed slightly as he left his perch in the trees and dashed towards the noise.

He didn't have to go far, though. He came upon a small clearing, and skidded to a halt when he saw his target leaning up against a tree, reading a small, orange-covered book. "Sakura failed lesson two: Genjutsu." The juonin said, not even looking up from his book.

"I'm not like them." Sasuke said simply, sliding into a ready stance.

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow slightly. "No, I suppose not…"

Sasuke didn't let him finish. He sprang forward, throwing a savage roundhouse kick at Kakashi's face. Kakashi grabbed the foot in time to stop it, but Sasuke was already shifting into his next attack. He twisted, swinging his arm around in a wide arc, making Kakashi adjust once more to grab the incoming fist. Sasuke twisted once more, spinning his free leg towards Kakashi's face and reaching for the bells that hung from his belt.

The problem was, the bells weren't there.

"What the-" Sasuke managed to blurt out before Kakashi ducked under the last kick and tossed him into a nearby bush. The leaves rustled loudly as Sasuke struggled to his feet. "Where'd you put the bells?" He shouted angrily, pulling a thorn out of his arm.

Kakashi blinked and looked down at his belt. The bells were indeed missing. There was about a three second silence before he sighed. "Great… She'll never let me live this down…" He glanced at the timer on the post, which showed just over an hour left for the test. "Alright you three." He yelled. "This test is over! Meet me back at the posts!"

* * *

Naru was seated comfortably atop one of the posts as her team returned to the clearing, her ankles crossed and the missing bells dangling through her fingers. Her left pant leg was rolled up past the knee, a fresh bandage wrapped tightly around the wound she'd recieved from the 'fall'. "Loose something?" She asked, giggling.

Kakashi gave her a sidelong look of exasperation as Sasuke and Sakura stared at her, neither quite believing that she'd managed to get not one, but both bells in such a short time.

"Well." Kakashi said suddenly, causing all three students to look at him. "Congratulations, Naru. You got both bells. Which means you two fail."

Sasuke looked like he'd been slapped, and Sakura just slumped to the ground, defeated.

"However…" Kakashi spoke quietly, but the downtrodden pair heard him and looked up. "Well, I guess you can have another shot after lunch. But I'll make it harder."

He was interrupted by the sound of Naru scoffing. "Yeah, whatever." Something shiny dropped into Sakura's lap, and Sasuke felt something metallic pressed into his hand. Immediately after this, the timer went off, ringing loudly. "Look. Sasuke and Sakura got the bells before the timer went off. They pass!" Naru's tone was unmistakeably sarcastic, but she had an oddly gentle smile on her face. "I guess that means I'm headed back to the academy."

Her two teammates stared at her unbelievingly. "Well, it seems Naru has figured out the point of this test." Kakashi said, smirking under his mask. "Can either of you two tell me what it is?"

Both of them sat quietly for a minute, before Sakura finally spoke. "There are three of us, but only two bells." She said slowly. "You wanted us to work together, but encouraged us to work alone. To look out for ourselves…"

"Teamwork." Sasuke grunted, slumping against one of the posts. Sakura nodded, leaning back against another.

A sudden blur of motion was all the warning they got before they found themselves tied tightly to the posts. "Yep. So, you two are gonna skip lunch, and we'll try again after Naru eats hers." Kakashi was fighting back his laughter at the two outraged glares he was getting. Turning to Naru, he held out a large bento, far larger than one person could eat on their own. "These two are to remain tied up, and they're not to be fed. If they are, I'll send you all back to the first year at the academy. Am I clear?"

Naru gulped nervously. "C-crystal…"

"Good." He said, laughing. "I'll be back in an hour, and we'll get straight to it." With that, he waved slightly, and vanished in a burst of smoke.

Naru opened the bento, fighting back a smile when she saw the three sets of chopsticks that were inside. She barely got the first mouthful of rice into her when Sakura's stomach made the loudest growling noise Naru had ever heard. She laughed out loud. "Are you guys hungry?" She asked innocently.

"Stop gloating, blondie." Sakura snarled. "Just start thinking of a plan for the second test-"

"Yeah. I'm a little hungry."

Both girls stared at Sasuke. The thought of the arrogant Uchiha actually (essentially) asking for help literally knocked all the humour out of the situation for Naru. She flipped a kunai out of her pouch and threw it with a single flick of her wrist, neatly cutting through the knot that held Sasuke to his post.

"What did you do that for?!" Sakura shrieked, staring madly back and forth from Naru to the now-untied Sasuke. "You're gonna get us sent back to year one! Why the he-"

"Why are we sorted into three-man cells, Sakura?" Naru said, cutting off her rant in mid stride.

She took several deep breaths before answering coolly. "To balance out the level of skill between stronger and weaker graduates."

"And?"

"And to increase mission success percentages."

"_And?_"

"And what!?" She yelled. "What the hell do you want to hear!?"

"To help each other achieve our full potential." Sasuke said quietly.

Naru nodded. "Exactly. Sasuke asked for help, and in doing so, admitted that there are things that he can't do. Things he needs help with." She turned back to Sakura. "You need to realize that the three of us are going to have to look out for each other. And to do that, you need to stop spending so much time with vanity, and stop fauning over Sasuke-teme." She grinned at that last part. "Put a little more time into practicing, and we'll call it even."

With the same negligent flick of her wrist, Naru cut Sakura out of her bonds. The trio sat around the oversized lunchbox, and were about to dig in, when a thunderclap slammed into the ground in front of them. Kakashi stood over them, his eye widened in rage.

"YOU GUYS-" He boomed. He suddenly slumped into a much more friendly posture. "Pass!"

The three gobsmacked gennin stared at him, not quite comprehending what he was saying as he rambled on about rules, and trash, and 'worse than trash'. The only thing they really heard was the following:

"Team Seven is an official gennin cell as of now. Congratulations."

* * *

A/N: Too lazy to write out the teamwork speech. Anyway, reviews are, as always, appreciated greatly. Specifically, I want to know your thoughts on the little Kyuubi interlude I threw in there. I did it on a whim, and want to know if it works for y'all. So, let me know, and until next time, Stay Frosty! –E. Red 


	11. Move Up, Move On

**Chapter 10: Move Up, Move On**

"I wish I could keep you, really do. But I can't."

The poor cat was trembling in Naru's arms, looking for all the world like it wanted nothing more than to die as the Fire Lord's wife let out an ear-shattering shriek.

She let the woman take the creature with more than a little reluctance. She waited just long enough for the woman to leave the room before sighing disgustedly. "Isn't there a law somewhere about cruelty to animals?" She asked out loud.

Her teammates both shook their heads. "You make that joke every time, Naru." Sakura said, groaning.

"S'not a joke..." She retorted quietly.

"Regardless, we did our job, so let's just get a new one, and get it over with." Sasuke said curtly. Naru quirked an eyebrow at him, but said nothing. He'd been acting very odd since graduation. Well, odd for him, at least... He actually started to volunteer information and opinion without being prompted, and one time, she thought she even saw a smirk that wasn't his usual arrogant one.

The three of them looked up at their sensei, who shrugged. "Whatever."

Team 7 approached the mission desk, bowing politely to the Sandaime before requesting another mission. "You're in luck." Iruka said from his seat beside the Hokage. "We actually have a few D-rank missions left today..."

The trio managed to suppress the groans they wanted to express, but even an untrained eye would have spotted the sudden slump in their shoulders, and the way their faces fell. Iruka frowned at them. "There's a reason we give new gennin D-rank missions..."

Naru cleared her throat quietly, standing up a little straighter. "With respect, Iruka-Sensei, I think that we are ready for a harder mission."

He blinked at her for a second before sighing. "Well... The decision ultimately rests with Hokage-Sama..."

The old man gave a small cough, looking over the three of them for a long moment. "Hmm... I guess you can have a C-ranked mission... You have been working hard for these past few weeks..."

Naru smiled, bowing politely. "Thank you, Hokage-Sama." Iruka handed Kakashi a mission scroll, smiling proudly at Naru.

"Your mission will start tomorrow morning at dawn." Iruka said officiously. "You will be escorting a bridge builder from here to the wave country, and then protecting him until he finishes his current job. Enemy encounters should be minimal at best, possibly a few bandits." He looked off to one side, noticing the man entering the room. "And this is your client."

"Hmph. These brats are my guard detail?" The man said, taking a swig from what looked like a sake bottle. "They don't look like much... Especially Pinky there..." Sakura's face immediately went red, and she was about to start yelling at the man, when someone grabbed her arm.

"Don't." Naru said calmly. "He's our client, after all..."

All of the anger drained out of Sakura's expression in an instant, and she gave a slight shake, as if trying to wake up. "...Right..." She said after a second, her tone sounding slightly confused.

Naru turned to the grey haired man, bowing stiffly. "I can assure you, sir, that we will perform to the very best of our abillities to get you home safely."

The man did a visible double-take at her reaction, but she'd already turned on her heel and left the room.

* * *

Naru slumped against the fence she was passing, suddenly overcome by weariness and worry. It was as if the feelings had come out of nowhere, and she was overwhelmed by them. Whispers of thoughts ghosted through her mind, thoughs that seemed to come from outside her own mind.

_... hope he notices... holding them back... in too deep..._

A touch on her arm brought her out of her haze, and the first thing she realized was that the sun had set, which meant she'd been sitting there for hours. The second thing she noticed was-

"Shino?"

The quiet boy looked down at her, his glasses hanging from his collar. "Are you alright, Naru-chan?"

Naru felt a tiny flutter in her chest, and she blushed slightly. "Y-yes... I'm fine... Just, err, a little hungry, that's all..."

"Then let's go get something to eat." He said simply, holding out his hand to her. She hesitate for the shortest of seconds before nodding and allowing him to help her up.

They passed the gate in the fence that she'd been sitting against, and she almost laughed when she saw the gate guard. She'd been sitting against the same fence that she had six years ago. The Aburame gate guard turned to greet them, and immediately his eyebrows shot over the rims of his glasses. He bowed respectfully and opened the gate for them, and Naru marvelled at what she saw. The complex was completely surrounded by a huge garden, with hundreds of insects flittering about among the vast array of brghtly colored flowers. A dozen small buildings sat in the center of the huge area, encircling one larger building. Several clan members were out and about, some working in the gardens, some training with their Kikai bugs, and two or three meditating quietly in various positions.

Naru was so lost in the beauty of the scene that she very nearly ran into Shino when he stopped suddenly. "Huh?"

"Father. Mother." He said formally, bowing his head slightly. "I believe you've met my friend, Kazama Naru."

Naru gazed up at the pair before her, a little uncomfortable under their glasses-covered gazes. Shino's mother was quite tall for a woman, and her flaming red hair cascaded freely down the back of her emerald green kimono. A brief glance on their first meeting told Naru that she had married into the Aburame clan, as she lacked enlarged pores in the usual places. His father was taller still, towering over Naru in his grey overcoat. Shibi and his son were like mirror images of each other, a fact that Naru had pointed out on a few occasions before. Both Aburame parents looked a little surprised at something (Naru assumed it was her, showing up unannounced), but greeted her pleasantly.

"I invited Naru for dinner tonight." Shino said. "I hope that is not a problem."

His mother, Aburame Aya, shook her head. "Of course not. Guests are always welcome in our home." She glanced back into the house. "You're right on time, as usual. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Naru coughed awkwardly. "Is there somewhere that I can... Err... Wash up?"

Shino nodded at her and gestured into the house. "Second door on the left."

* * *

Shino watched the door close in the hallway. "She's been acting very oddly lately." He said quietly, ignoring the image of his parent's confused stares that his kikai were sending to him. "I felt she could use some positive reinforcement. And..." He turned to face them. "She's my best friend..."

His father shook his head. "Indeed..." He reached up and tapped the glasses that hung from Shinos jacket collar. "Why are your glasses off?"

Shino did the smallest of double takes, whipping his glasses over his eyes in an instant. He turned away from his parents, blushing furiously. He heard his mother giggling, and his kikai saw his father glance at her slightly dissapprovingly. "What?" She asked innocently. "I think it's cute..."

* * *

Sasuke slumped against the post, breathing heavily as he wiped the sweat from his face. He examined the huge burn mark on the opposite post, satisfied with his improvement. _It's not complete yet, but it will be by the time I face him..._

He frowned suddenly. He'd not thought of his brother in weeks. Not really, at least... Come to think of it, he'd not thought of him since the day he and Naru had...

He shook his head, forcing the thought out. "Why now?" He asked out loud. The last few weeks had been a lot better than any since the massacre... And now he was slipping backwards again. He'd been relatively content with life, and now he realized exactly why. Itachi had ruined his life, had taken his family from him. But even more than that, he'd pushed Sasuke into an ultimately self-destructive mindset that kept him from moving on with his life. And for whatever reason, those past weeks had given him a taste of what his life might be like without the constant reminder of how horrible his life had been made.

He would never forget his duty to his clan, certainly not. Itachi would die for his crime. But now, after a moment of reflection and an incredible revelation, he realized that he was letting Itachi continue to rule his life, by his own decision. _Not any more. From now on, I'm free..._

And he felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. He did something that he hadn't done very much at all since that day.

He smiled.

* * *

Naru stumbled in the hallway, falling to her knees as all her energy suddenly left her. There was the sound of running footsteps, but her vision went blank for an instant, dozens of horrible images flashing across her mind's eye. Then, everything went black, replaced by a feeling of contentment, and completion. It seemed like hours later when she heard Shino's voice, calling her name. She opened her eyes slowly, tears suddenly jumping out of them. "What's wrong?" He asked worriedly. She realized that he was holding her up off the ground in his lap, but was too tired to blush. "What happened?"

"Something good..." She managed to whisper. And then she was gone again, back into quiet unconciousness...

* * *

Aya stood up, an extremely confused look on her face. "There appears to be nothing wrong with her, from a medical standpoint." She said, frowning. "If nothing else, this looks like exhaustion..." She saw her son let out a quiet sigh of relief, and had to suppress a giggle. "I think you should just take her home, Shino." He nodded silently and stood up carefully, holding Naru's sleeping form gently in his arms. "Oh, and there's no need to rush, dear." She saw him flush, and smiled as he made a hasty retreat.

Shibi let out a tiny sigh and shook his head. Aya glanced at her husband, frowning. "What is it now?"

"He's too young." He said quietly.

"Pfft." She huffed. "We were barely older than he is when we started dating."

"Yes, but I didn't show-"

"Oh, just let him live his life, Shibi." Aya interrupted, turning back to the window to watch her son exit the compound gates. "I think it's adorable. I just hope he doesn't follow the trend you set and tells her before something gets in the way..."

Shibi was silent for a minute, but he eventually turned and left the room, a muted hum of irritation flaring up from under his coat. Aya smiled, her eyes staring blankly into space. "Maybe he needs a little push..."

* * *

When Naru awoke the next morning, she was instantly wide awake. She rolled out of bed, realizing that she was in her own room at home. The clock on her wall told her that it was five thirty in the morning, and she cursed. _I've got a half hour to get ready... Great..._

After the fastest shower in her life, Naru quickly dressed in her travelling clothes, a light green tank top under a black jacket, with a short black skirt over a pair of matching shorts. She grabbed the bandolier that had all of her equipment in it and slung it over her shoulder. She finished strapping the telescoping staff to her forearm as she skidded into the kitchen, grabbing a bun and holding it in her mouth as she hopped up and down, pulling her sandals on. She made it out into the yard before she heard it.

"Naru!?" Kurenai leaned out the window, staring at her adopted daughter in surprise. "What are you doing out of bed?"

She smiled brightly, pulling the bun out of her mouth. "Mission today, Kaasan! C-ranked! I've gotta go!"

"What?"

"I'll tell you when I get back! I love you! Bye!" She shouted, waving over her shoulder as she left at a full run.

The sun was just cresting the trees as she arrived at the east gate of the village, panting slightly from exertion. She was more than a little suprised to find that she was the first one there. "Hmm. That's new..." She thought out loud, sitting down on a bench. She streched out on the wooden seat, closing her eyes. A feeling of warm contentment washed over her, and she sighed happily, feeling her body relax completely. "That feels good..."

"I'm sure it does..."

Her eyes snapped open immediately. Sasuke stood over her, an amused smile on his face. _Wait... Smile?_ "Morning." He said simply.

"Are you... alright?" She asked slowly.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. No reason..."

"Right..." He looked away awkwardly. "Soooo... C-ranked, huh?"

She actually gaped at him. "Are you trying to make _small talk_ with me?" Her tone was decidedly disbelieving.

He coughed slightly, blushing in embarrassment. "I... Uh... I thought about what you said. Before we got sorted into teams. And... Well... You were right... Thanks..."

Naru nearly fell over. "Are you alright, Sasuke? You seem a little... Different today..." She squinted at him slightly, noticing for the first time an almost unnoiceable yellowish... _Something_ tinging the air around him.

"Different..." He said quietly, turning away and looking out through the massive gate. "Huh... That's one way of saying it..."

Naru fell silent, not wanting to push too hard and ruin whatever mood he was in. The pair didn't have long to wait, however, for a distraction.

"Sasuke-Kuuuunnn!" The boy's good mood seemed to falter for a second, and Naru was worried that it would soon evaporate entirely, under Sakura's... _Ahem_... Enthusiasm...

She needn't have worried. "Good morning, Sakura." Sasuke said with a (slightly forced) smile, making her literally _swoon_ in mid-step.

Naru could see her brain turning to mush as she squealed, happily latching onto Sasuke's arm. The boy's face faltered once again, and Naru hid a smile. "You'll learn..." She said softly, turning to look back up at the sky.

"You punk kids ready to go yet?" Naru flinched, holding her angry response back. Tazuna, the bridge maker, staggered slightly as he approached them, Kakashi following slightly behind. The masked juonin glanced at Naru, a slightly worried look in his visible eye, but she just waved him off. "Right, then. Let's get moving..."

No more words were spoken as the group left the safety of the village gates. The only sounds Naru heard were the rustling leaves, the crunch of gravel beneah her feet, and the many confusing thoughts that were rebounding throughout her mind...

* * *

**A/N:** Hey, all! Been a while, huh? Well, WotO is still on track, despite thoughts of the contrary. I've been real busy lately, moving to Toronto and starting my Basic Training for the Reserves, but I'm still plugging away at this, and my six other stories, as well as my audition for comedy colledge... Hope you enjoyed this chap. There were a few hints as to Naru's bloodline in this chapter, and the whole "Sasuke becoming less Emo" thing. I'll dip into it a little deeper as the story goes on, so don't worry about that, but I need him Un-Emo for very specific reasons, which you guys don't get to hear. Stay Frosty! -E. Red


	12. Attack, Defend

**Chapter 11: Attack, Defend**

Naru watched the ground as she walked along behind the rest of the team, her hands stuffed in her pockets and her face covered by a look of confused concentration. Since they'd left the village those three hours ago, she'd not said a word, devoting all of her attention to the alien images that she seemed to be picking up out of nowhere.

_A small bedroom, very neatly kept... Sasuke, sitting alone in a tree after classes... Ino giving me a red ribbon..._

Naru shook her head in shock. _I recognise that ribbon!_ She glanced up at the group in front of her, focusing on Sakura's back. _But Ino gave that..._ "What the hell...?" She whispered to herself, even more confusion coming out of the realization of where those images were coming from.

"Problem?" Kakashi's voice came out of nowhere, and Naru flinched despite herself.

"No... Not really..." She said, avoiding her sensei's eye. "Just... Thinking..." _He'll think I've gone nuts if I tell him what I think is happening to me..._ She thought, stepping around a puddle.

She could almost feel him worrying... No, she _could _feel him worrying! "Actually, I-"

She was interrupted by a sudden clinking of chains, and she looked up in surprise. Kakashi made eye contact for a split second before the chains that wrapped around him were pulled tight, and he exploded into a fountain of gore. The two hunched over figures that were attached to the bladed links chuckled quietly through their rebreathers. "One down." one of them hissed, and then lunged towards her. "Two down..."

Naru froze up, her mind flashing blank for a second before she was brought back into reality by a familliar roaring voice. _**MOVE, KID!**_

Immediately she dropped straight onto her back, surprising the hell out of the attacking ninja as he sailed through the air where she had been only an instant before. Naru let out a terrible snarl, her eyes reflexively flashing red, and she sprang into an attack even before the nin had passed over her. She kicked her legs up, locking them around the enemy's legs and twisting harshly, which both hauled the nin out of the air and into the dirt and snapped his kneecaps cleanly in one smooth motion.

Nearby, Sasuke stood ready to deal with the second assailant, but before the nin could even reach him, a blur of green, black, red and blonde streaked out of nowhere, slamming into him in midair and sending both of them spiralling into a nearby tree, which exploded into splinters.

"Naru!"

Kakashi's voice silenced the sounds of punches in the dustcloud the impact had thrown up, and it settled after a quiet moment to reveal Naru standing over an unconscious and thoroughly beaten ninja. The copy nin stepped into view from behind a tree, and Naru glanced back at the shredded log that was where he had been attacked. She slumped to the ground next to her beaten opponent, the adrenalin draining from her system instantly, and Kakashi was beside her in a flash.

" 'M sorry... Should'a known better..." She whispered. The feeling of worry was back, and now she could even see a slight tinge of blue around her sensei as he picked her up and moved her away from her bloodied target.

"Forget it. You did your job, and that's all that matters right now." He said quietly to her. He looked at their client a little more irritably, though, when he put her down on the side of the road. "You, however, have a lot of explaining to do. The presence of opposing shinobi automatically makes this at least a B-class mission."

* * *

"-And now, this bridge is the only hope for the people of my country." Tazuna, the bridge builder, finished, sighing.

Kakashi shook his head in exhasperation. "Well, this is out of my hands now. We have no choice but to-"

"We'll keep going." Unsurprisingly, it was Sasuke who spoke up first. _Kid's got to much ambition..._ "What would it say about Konoha if we cut out so quickly on a technicality?"

"Not that I doubt you guys, but-"

"No way! We're not pulling out because of some complication! We've waited way too long for a C-ranked mission!" Sakura glared at him, almost daring him to order them home.

_And that leaves..._ He turned his gaze on the last member of his team where she sat, staring absently into the ground. "Well? Is this gonna be a unanimous vote, or are we going home, Naru?"

She stayed quiet, nodding once and picking up her bag, never looking up from the ground. Kakashi, though disturbed by the sudden shift in Naru's mood, sighed in defeat. "Fine. We'll deal with this later. Let's just get moving again. I want to get some distance behind us." His team nodded in confirmation, and the five were on their way again.

* * *

And the days seemed to melt into a single hazy sludge for Naru. It was about a week's travel to their destination at a civillian's pace, and that time literally crawled as she tried to puzzle out what was going on with her mind. Having nothing to look at but her team and a bunch of trees didn't make the endeavour any easier, either. Kakashi tried several times to pull her out of her mood, but to no avail. Years of living with him had given her ample experience at tuning him out.

It was about three days into the trip that something finally broke into her shell. They'd pitched camp for the night, and Naru was on first watch, sitting comfortably in a tree overlooking the clearing where they'd set up. A slight rustle on the next branch over, but she relaxed when she saw... _Felt_ who it was.

"You know, you're being pretty moody lately." Sasuke said passively, stretching out like a cat and breaking off a twig to chew on.

Naru didn't respond, looking away. This was something she had to deal with on her own.

Sasuke glanced over at her, frowning slightly when she wouldn't make eye contact. "You know, you're part of the problem, Naru." He said quietly, looking back up at the stars as he threw her words back in her face. "I kept all my problems to myself, and look what it did to me. You helped me with that, so now I intend to repay that debt."

Again, she didn't respond, and again he looked over at her. A small, strangled noise escaped from her lips, and she rolled off of the branch, landing on the ground and sitting back against the tree, hugging her knees to her chest. He sighed, rubbing his temples. _This is why I ignored girls for so long... Well... Among other reasons..._ "Ugh." He followed her movement, landing gently beside her.

"I can wait for as long as it takes, Kazama." He said flatly, sitting against a tree opposite of where Naru sat. "It may not seem like help right now, but you'll come to see it eventually." _I did..._

They sat in silence for a long while, Naru staring into her knees and Sasuke keeping watch for her. Almost a full hour passed before Naru finally spoke, though her voice was quiet and shaky.

"D... Do you have a secret?" She asked weakly, still hiding behind her knees. "A big one?"

Sasuke's slightly annoyed expression softened, and he nodded. "Of a sort, yeah..."

"Does it hurt when you think about it?"

_That_ caught him off guard. It took him a few seconds to answer. "Every time." He whispered, looking out across the clearing. The secret he was thinking was one he'd kept to himself, even through all the years of hatred.

And when he looked back, he found himself staring into a pair of tear-stained blue eyes. "H-how do you... You know... Deal with it?" She asked, trying to hold her emotions out of her voice, and failing somewhat.

"Honestly, until a few days ago, I kept it all to myself." He said, looking away again. He hated those eyes, to tell the truth. They always seemed to be staring straight into his soul, judging him without remorse. "But... Well, I'm here to help..." He repeated, lapsing back into silence.

Naru watched him for a while, the idea of opening up to someone playing hell with her stability. Thankfully, she fell asleep before she was able to come to a decision, thus avoiding the choice.

For now...

* * *

"We're only about a half a day's traveling time away from the town." Tazuna noted idly, breaking the awkward silence that lingered in the morning air.

Naru said nothing. Her own personal demons, both literal and metaphorical, were stewing her thoughts into disarray again. _Why me?_ She asked silently, neither for the first, nor the last time. _Why's it always me?_

A slight whirring noise was all that gave away the presence of a massive weapon sailing through the air. Naru heard the sound first, and immediately dove to the ground. "Everybody down!" She shouted. More out of shock from hearing her speak after so long than anything else, the rest of her team complied, just in time to avoid the enormous cleaver that spun through the air where they had been standing, embedding itself into a nearby tree with a loud _**thunk**_.

"Well, now. This _is_ interesting." A low voice said as a tall, muscular figure appeared, standing atop the handle of the giant weapon. "The bridge builder has surrounded himself with a handful of pitiful little leaves... But what's this?" The figure looked down at Kakashi, chuckling. "My, my. Hatake Kakashi, the infamous Copy-Ninja himself! I'm honoured."

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed as he positioned himself between the rest of the group and this new assaillant. "The honour is all mine, Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Bloody Mist." Naru couldn't hear it in his voice, but the numerous tiny clues of tensing muscles and a feeling of worry old her that this man was bad news. "I thought they would have caught you by now."

The man chuckled evilly. "Not yet, little leaf. But let's not waste our time with talk. I came for the bridge builder. Hand him over, and you can go home unharmed."

Kakashi shook his head. "I think you know my answer to that, nukenin." He said, shifting slightly into a ready position and reaching for a kunai. "Leave."

Zabuza shook his head. "The hard way it is then." His hands came together in a seal, and his chakra flared slightly. "**Hidden Mist Jutsu...**" The area immediately began to fog up with thick mist, cutting visibility down to almost nothing. A moment's silence was split by the voice of the Ex- Mist Nin. "Heart. Spine. Lungs. Kidneys. Larynx. Jugular vein. Collar bone. Liver. Eight vital points. Eight ways to kill in a single stroke... But only five targets... What to do..."

Naru's hand twitched towards her staff as she tried to stare through the fog. She was shaking in fear from the sudden chill as the water soaked through her clothes, as well as a sudden feeling of dread that hit her from two directions at once.

"Relax, you guys." Kakashi's voice suddenly spoke from somewhere nearby, though where exactly was impossible to tell throught the mist. "I don't let my comrades die."

"Really." Zabuza's voice spoke suddenly from right beside Naru's ear. "I disagree, don't you little girl?" His voice had a slight growl to it, and Naru felt cold steel across her throat, and froze. The fog dissipated immediately, and she heard Sakura gasp. "Drop your weapons or I drop the girl. Do it now." The massive cleaver that had been embedded in a tree only moments ago was pressed tightly across her neck, the huge mist nin holding her arms together from behind.

She could see Kakashi freeze, one hand clamped around a kunai and the other holding onto his headband. "Coward." He spat, dropping the knife angrily. Naru was momentarily surprised by the uncharacteristic action, but recognised the intentional pratfall for what it was. The tiny distraction was just what she needed. Her hands flew up and gripped the edge of the blade, while whe thrust her head back into the man's gut with as much force as she could muster. Zabuza gave a slight grunt before exploding suddenly into a gush of water, soaking Naru from head to toe.

Which covered the following attack. The cleaver flashed through Kakashi's midsection like it was butter, Zabuza letting out a triumphant laugh.

Which was cut short by Kakashi's separated torso dissolving into a puddle of water. "What?! He copied me through the mist?!"

"Indeed." Came the quiet reply, and a kunai was suddenly pressed against the nukenin's neck. "This fight is over." Kakashi said simply, his forehead protector raised to reveal an odd red eye underneath.

Once again, the ex mist nin laughed, and dissolved from Kakashi's grasp. "Oh my, I get to see the Sharingan. And so quickly, too. I'm flattered."

The next minute was a blur to Naru, Kakashi and Zabuza trading blows at incredible speeds until Zabuza got in a lucky kick, sending Kakashi flying into the water of a nearby pond. Naru watched as Zabuza captured the leaf juonin in a sphere of water, and conjured up a half-dozen watery clones of himself. She settled into a battle stance, ready for combat, but was interrupted by a slight pinching in her neck, and the world fading to black...

* * *

A/N: Alright, no griping about lateness, or shortness, or the lack of detail at the end. I'm tired of trying to find a fresh look at this chapter, so I'm ending it. And I'm skipping the tree-climbing, as it's more than a little redundant, seeing as how it's going to happen the same way as it did in canon. I personally hate writing this arc, so I'm gonna wrap it up in the next chapter. I'll make up for the abruptness of the last few chaps by asking for a vote on an important decision for next chapter, for which there are four choices:

Zabuza and Haku die.

One dies, the other lives. (Specify which)

Both die.

There you go. I'm beat, so figure it out for yourself. Bah. Army life makes my muse sleepy. -E. Red


	13. Asleep, Awake

**Chapter 12: Asleep, Awake**

_Eight year old Kazama Naru fell backwards once again, her treasured staff knocked from her grasp by an extremely irritated sister. "And once again, you just ignore what I told you about how to properly hold your weapon." Tenten sighed in frustration. "I tell you, time and time again. But do you listen? Noooo..."_

_She was forced to pause when she saw the depressed expression on her sister's face. Despite two years worth of positive reinforcement, she was still extremely unconfident when it came to her family. It took a practiced eye to notice it, but if anything, a practiced eye was something Tenten took pride in having. "Alright, let's stop here for the day..." She sighed again, reaching to help her sister up._

_Naru just sat there, upset. They'd been at this weapons training for months, and she was only on her second one. Seeing her sister training with her many and varied weapon styles had sparked an interest in the younger sibling, but after they'd finished with kunai and shuriken, she'd gotten stuck on the staff, and stayed there for over two months. And she was about ready to give up._

_"Hey." Tenten said gently, squatting down to eye level. "You're not thinking of quitting again, are you Naru-Chan? How're you ever gonna be the best if you keep giving up?"_

* * *

"-tch out! He's behind-"

* * *

_"Ha!" Crunch!_

_Naru smiled as the training log cracked slightly. Her Taijutsu training was really starting to pay off. All those weapon lessons from Tenten had really affected her unarmed skills in a negative way, but she was slowly starting to get back into the flow. Of course, since she was only training in Tekken, the most common and easily learned of all Taijutsu styles, she would never be as good as any of the othergirls in the class. Even Hinata's 'underdeveloped' Jyuken routinely trounced her in the sparring matches they had at the academy. _But Kaasan uses Tekken...

_She decided it was time to quit after another half hour of practice, and sat back against a tree, panting slightly. She had laid there for only a minute before a shadow fell over her. She squinted up at the figure that stood over her, and frowned when she saw who it was._

_Hyuuga Neji stared down at her, his milky white eyes emotionless and calculating. She'd heard about him from her sister, who generally made it known that she thought he was a pompous, arrogant ass, and that she could care less about anything that had to do with him._

_He looked down at her silently for a moment, making her more and more nervous, until he finally spoke. "Why bother to try so hard?" He said, turning away. "If you are destined to fail at something, there is nothing you can do about it."_

_Naru blinked in confusion. "What?"_

_"Tekken is useless for you." He said harshly, turning away. "Try something that requires less strength, but more speed." He walked away without saying another word._

_Naru was completely flabbergasted. "Was that advice, or an insult?"_

* * *

"-e's still out, Kakashi-sensei...-"

* * *

_Tenten sighed dreamily as she stared across the training field at a boy who was systematically beating on a thick wooden post. Naru looked up from her scroll at the sound, and glanced over at where her sister was looking. She couldn't help but giggle when she saw the boy, and the sound made Tenten turn around and glare at her. "And what exactly are you laughing at, Naru-chan?"_

_"You know, it'd be easier to just go and talk to him." She answered through her giggles. "Then at least he'll know."_

_Tenten's face immediately flushed bright red, and she turned away, huffing slightly. "I could say the same about you, little sister. You and a certain Aburame..."_

_There was no answer, which surprised her somewhat, until she turned around again, and her sister wasn't there._

_She was halfway across the field, and moving towards... "Crap..."_

_"'Scuse me..." The boy missed his mark when a voice suddenly spoke out of nowhere._

_"Ow!" He said, popping his thumb back into place. He turned around, and blushed instantly when he saw who it was. "Oh! Kazama-san! I... Err... Didn't see you there..."_

_ere and say that_

_Naru giggled at his sudden shift in mood. "Please don't call me that. It makes me feel uncomfortable... My name is Naru."_

_His face flushed even brighter, and he laughed nervously. "Ahahaha!!... Err... Sure... Well... What can I do for you... Err... Naru-san?"_

_"Well, I've been working on my taijutsu a lot lately, and my sister- That's Tenten, she's in your class- said that you were the best person to go to for help... Though she didn't say your name..." She pointed across the field, to where Tenten was feebly hiding behind a tree. "She forgets things when she gets all googly-eyed... Anyway, would you please help me?" _I might as well get something out of this...

_The boy flushed even deeper, though it seemed impossible in Naru's opinion. "I... Um... Wow... Did she really?" He asked, and broke out into a smile when Naru nodded. "Yosh! Then I would be happy to teach you!" He straightened his training gi, standing up a little straighter. "I, Rock Lee, shall do whatever it takes to help you perfect your Taijutsu! It's a promise!"_

_

* * *

_

Naru groaned as the world came back into focus. **Welcome back to the land of the living, kit.** Kyuubi's voice echoes through her head as she slowly sat up, reaching to pull the senbon out of her neck. **Don't worry, you were only out for a few minutes.** She answered the unspoken question as her host blinked rapidly to clear her vision. **But your friends might need a little help...**

Indeed, things didn't look good from where Naru was sitting. Sasuke stood in front of her, a kunai clutced in one fist and a folded Fuuma Shuriken helt in the other, which was currently locked up against the immense blade of the Demon of the Bloody Mist. Sakura stood ready off to one side, standing between danger and their client. Kakashi, however, was not in her immediate line of sight.

It only took an instant to take all this information in, and an instant more for the feeling to return to her limbs. And she wasted no time in taking advantage of that.

Sasuke wasn't sure what happened. He was pushing back against the huge sword one second, and stumbling into a small puddle the next. "Huh?" Was about the only thing that came to mind, until he realized what had happened. Naru stood in front of him, a small trickle of blood running down the side of her neck, in the spot where the senbon had pierced her skin.

"Jeez..." She said weakly, smiling shakily. "Can't leave you alone for a second, can I?" She was shaking slightly as she stood ready, her eyes moving immediately towards the missing member of her team. Kakashi was floating in a sphere of water, held in place by a slightly amused looking Mist nukenin, who was standing on top of the water of the lake.

"You've got some fortitude there, kid." He chuckled darkly. "For a little girl, any way..."

"Why don't you _cough_ come over here and _cough_ say that to my face?" She spat, her temper starting to rise. "You're not scared of a gennin, are you? And a girl, to boot..."

Zabuza merely sneered. "Nice try. I'll let you come to me, if you really want to make something of it." He gestured towards the wide space of open water between them. "If you can, that is..."

_Damnit! What do I do now?_

**You attack, head on.** Kyuubi said gently, as if to a child throwing a tantrum. **It's what he asked you to do, is it not?**

Naru sighed aloud. _How, exactly? He's in the middle of the lake._

Kyuubi laughed. **Let me take care of that, kit. You just charge straight in.**

_Are you sure?_

**Only if you trust me...**

Kakashi was yelling at her to escape, and both of her teammates looked unsure of what to do next, but it surprised everybody who watched when Naru sunk into a lower stance and snarled. "If you insist, then here I come." And she charged. Straight forward into the lake. And, to the astonishment of the onlookers, straight across the surface of it, towards her foe.

_How am I...?_

**Just hurry up, kit.** Kyuubi's voice was strained, like it was pushing hard against something that didn't wat to move. **I'm not sure how long I can keep this up...**

_Right._ The initial moment of shock had passed, and Zabuza grasped the hilt of his massive Zanbato, swinging it over his shoulder with one hand to intercept the oncoming gennin, but his stroke was too slow, too unprepared to match Naru's speed and agility. She ducked the swing easily, sliding past it as it crashed into the water's surface, and stepping inside the mush larger shinobi's guard. "Eat this!" She shouted, kicking straight up under the man's chin. Her attack was rewarded with a satisfying _crunch_, and she followed through with her momentum by planting a solid thrust kick directly in the center of his chest with her other foot, flipping gracefully into the air and away from him before he could retaliate.

She splashed uncerimoniously into the lake, however, rather than springing back off of her hands. But the damage had been done. Zabuza reeled under the dual impact, stumbling backwards just enough to break contact with the water prison, and release Kakashi. A very wet, very angry Kakashi.

Zabuza managed to stablize himself in time to dodge Kakashi's first strike, but was caught and thrown backwards by the follow-up. He stood up slowly on the opposite bank, absently spitting blood through a new tear in his bandages. "It appears you leaves have more skill than I had anticipated." He said slowly, eyeing Kakashi as he stepped between the nukenin and his target. "I'll let you go for now." He growled finally pressing his hands into a seal. "But don't think I'm gone..." The man was quite suddenly enveloped in mist, and was gone when it dissipated.

Kakashi let out a silent breath after a moment of tense silence, knowing that their foe had retreated. _For now, at least..._ He thought to himself, coughing up a small amount of water. Turning back towards his team, he gave a startled cry and rushed over to Naru's limp body, floating face down in the lake a few yards away. It only took a second to pluck her out of the water and run to shore. But his worry was quickly lessened, as one strong chest compression allowed her to weakly cough up a lungful of water before she started to breath normally again, sleeping quietly in her sensei's arms...

* * *

A/N: Heh... So, I decided to write in a few little snippets, due to several complaints about the lack of info on the early years of Naru's life, as well as the lack of Zabuza fightyness... This should hold you over untill I finish the next chapter... 

**Haku/Zabuza Poll:** Yeah, It looks like you all want both of them to live... But, I think I may have a much more unique way of going about it... I don't know... I'll figure it out. Thanks for all the responses, tho! Stay frosty - E. Red


	14. Lives, Deaths

**Chapter 13: Lives, Deaths**

_Rain. The sound of a rushing river. The smell of stone, sweat, water and blood. And then, it all vanished in a flash of lightning. The only thing she felt was unimaginable, searing pain. And the only thing she saw was red._

Kakashi heard the scream from the next room, and the blood instantly drained out of his veins. He was on his feet and running in a flash, and entered to find Naru curled up in the fetal position, shuddering and crying weakly. "Naru!" He called, placing a hand on her shaking shoulder. "It's okay! You're safe! I'm here!"

She looked up at him, and he was startled to notice a trickle of blood running down from her nose, mixing with her tears as they fell. She didn't speak at all, only latching herself onto his waist, like she had that day in the Hokage's office, nearly seven years prior.

He let her cry herself out, until she could calm down enough to speak, before he asked her what was wrong. She stared up at him for a time, before finally looking back at the ground and replying, "Something bad is going to happen..."

Kakashi shook his head, remembering how she had been the last time she'd said that, and gave her a small squeeze. "Not if I can stop it... Besides, Kurenai would never let me live if I let something happen to you." She gave him a small, sad smile, and shook her head.

"M'being silly..."

Kakashi shook his head. "You're not. But have a little faith in me, please. It helps..." She nodded slightly, idly wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "Good. Now, if you feel up to it, get cleaned up, and we'll get you fed and working. Alright?" Another small nod. "Okay. I'll meet you downstairs, then."

Naru stepped off the last step slowly, wobbling slightly as the room tilted. She leaned heavily on the wall as she regained her balance. Something was throwing off her balance, but she couldn't figure out what.

"Are you feeling better?"

The question threw her off guard for a second, and she felt a hot surge of jealousy, mingled in with genuine concern. Sasuke must have noticed her stumble, because he stood up from the table and offered his hand to help her. She allowed him to help her to the table with a murmur of thanks, ignoring the glare she was getting from Sakura. Kakashi was talking quietly with the old bridge builder in the next room, and a young woman was working in the kitchen nearby.

Much feeding and introducing followed, and Naru thanked the woman, Tsunami, profusely every time she refilled the plate in front of her. She finally started to feel a little better, when Kakashi finally entered the room. "Alright, Team Seven. Let's get a move on. We're burning daylight."

* * *

**The world was built with certain rules. Some of these rules are bendable: they can change as the world evolves. Others are infallible. Rules that cannot be broken without serious damage to the very fabric of reality. The One set down these rules when we Nine were created, and we followed them and, when necessary, enforced them upon our surroundings.**

**Many things in this world have come and gone. And in my time, I have seen civilizations rise and fall, and rise anew. But never has an Immutable Law been broken under my watch. Never broken. Though nearly, on that day... The day of my madness... The day of the atrocity...**

**A wise human once said "Lord, what fools these mortals be," or some such words to that effect, and I have come to appreciate fully exactly the meaning of that sentence in my long years. Human potential is limitless, which is both their blessing and curse. For every Human who pursues their full potential for good, many, many more pursue their potential for evil.**

"**Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Another uncharacteristically wise thing a Human once said. And, in the case of mere mortals, he was absolutely right. The Law was nearly broken in the pursuit of absolute power. The pursuit of one who exists in a constant state of delirium that puts even my worst day to terrible shame...

* * *

**

Tree climbing. That was the brilliant idea. Sakura had done it on the first try, and Sasuke had asked her for help, which got him through it on his third or fourth. But when Naru had asked her, she'd only felt the same hot flash of jealousy as she had earlier, and Sakura pointedly huffed, and told her it wasn't that hard, and she should be able to figure it out on her own.

Kakashi separated them immediately, however, with a small sigh. He left with Sasuke and Sakura in tow, promising Naru he'd come check up on her in an hour or so. So she was left alone in the woods, running up tree trunks and falling on her backside.

_Stupid Sakura... Why can't she see that I'm not interested in her 'precious Sasuke-Kun'... Beyond as a teammate, of course..._

Up the tree, higher and higher each time.

_And why can I feel what she feels? What is happening to me?_

Higher and higher still...

_And the weird dreams?_

Higher. Faster. Farther...

Naru misstepped on the trunk, and tumbled off, flopping hard onto her back at the foot of the tree where she lay panting from exertion. _Maybe a little rest will help...

* * *

_

_Blood. Stone. Rain. And searing, horrible pain. An odd red eye... Or were there two? The Konoha leaf... And a question that her voice whispered into the horrible chirping of a thousand birds:_

"_Why didn't you stop...?"

* * *

_

Naru awoke to a coughing fit, and had to roll over to avoid coughing blood all over herself. The pain was gone, but her heart kept thudding a mile a minute. _Again? The same dream..._

"Miss? Are you alright?" A soft voice made her look up, startled. How had she not noticed the presence of another person in the area? Was she that out of it?

She looked up at the figure, slightly apprehensive of anyone who could get the drop on her, but... Naru blinked hard a few times, just to be sure. The person standing before her was the single most androgynous girl she'd ever met. Her features were plain, but beautiful nonetheless, and she was dressed in a very plain pale violet kimono. She carried a small basket, half-full of various herbs. She made eye contact for a second before she, like everyone else before her, looked away from Naru's eyes.

"Are you alright?" The girl repeated. Naru nodded, forcing a smile. _No need to worry the civilian populace..._

"Yeah. I'm fine." She said, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, which she wiped on the grass. "I've been worse."

The girl cocked her head to the side slightly, a small smile forming on her lips. "I guess you would have, being a ninja and all..." Naru followed her eyes as they twitched up towards her headband. "What's your name?"

"Kazama Naru, of Konoha." She replied. "And yourself? I'm curious as to who would come this far into the woods for a few plants."

"My name is Haku." She replied, smiling calmly, unaffected by the confrontational tone Naru had used. "And these herbs are for my... Father." She hesitated for only an instant, but Naru caught it nonetheless. Haku glanced around at the gouges on the trees. "You must have been working very hard..." She commented.

Naru nodded warily. "Yeah. It's part of the job."

Haku busied herself with a bush off to one side, and Naru turned to leave. "Why do you try so hard?" Haku's question made her pause.

"So I can protect those that need protecting." She answered slowly, glancing back. Haku was standing again, and Naru couldn't stop herself from squinting a bit. Maybe she wasn't a she... The way she stood was more like a man would... And the way she talked...

Haku noticed her looking. "I'm a boy, by the way." Naru twitched, and blushed at being caught. "Don't worry, it happens all the time. But please don't let me interrupt your training. Protecting those that are precious to you is the most important thing a person can do."

Naru nodded in agreement, and caught sight of a small sparkle in Haku's eyes, but she didn't mention it. "Well, I have to get these herbs back to my... Father. It was nice meeting you, Naru-san." Haku turned and left the clearing. Naru watched her go, because something told her that Haku was important somehow. And, indeed, she didn't believe Haku's claim to gender. Something about the way she spoke about her 'father' didn't sit right... She's_ a boy... Huh. So was I, once...

* * *

_

Naru awoke late the next morning, drained from her training. A good breakfast was what she really needed, but as she left her room she heard a commotion in the kitchen. A pair of scruffy-looking ronin were threatening Inari and his mother. "Just knock the brat out. Then we can have our way with the woman."

This made Naru angry.

The katanas that the pair had been waving around suddenly disappeared from their hands, and they both went deadly silent as they felt cold steel pressed against the backs of their necks. "Move, and I'll sever your spines."

They twitched.

* * *

Kakashi grunted as the blade of the zanbato passed through the air where he had been a second before. _Great... Now, of all times, he comes out... Should've guessed..._

He stole a quick glance towards his team, hoping that they could hold out long enough for him to help out. Sasuke was attacking a nin wearing a mask similar to the ones Konoha's ANBU wear, who appeared to be using senbon, and Sakura had put herself between the Mist nin and their target, the bridge builder.

Another grunt, and another avoided decapitation. "What's the matter, little Leaf? Afraid to stand and fight? At least your little team has some semblance of courage." The Demon of the Bloody Mist taunted.

"Hardly." Kakashi said calmly in return. "They just don't know the value of strategic retreat yet."

Despite the situation, Zabuza laughed in mid-swing. "Excuses for cowardice? Bad form, Kakashi..." He swung again, but Kakashi stepped under it, and came up inside his guard with a fierce kick to the chest.

Zabuza flipped in midair, righting himself before he slammed into the wall of the bridge. He shook himself slightly, growling as he flipped through some hand seals. "Kirigakure no Jutsu..."

Immediately, the air started to fill with thick fog, and Kakashi tensed up. _Vision... Minimal. Sound... Dampened. All that's left-_

He didn't finish the thought before flipping backwards over the next stroke.

* * *

Sasuke twisted under another hail of needles, wincing as a few stuck painfully into his arm. _Damn, this guy is fast... _A small puddle to his right rose into the air, freezing into dozens of more needles of ice, which forced him to redirect once more, again unable to avoid all of them. Numbing cold shot through his leg as he stumbled, but managed to keep his footing. 

"You're strong..." The Mist ninja said calmly, folding his fingers into a seal Sasuke had never seen before. "I'm sorry, but I have to finish this quickly." The collected water around the pair shuddered as it started to solidify and rise into the air.

_This won't end well...

* * *

_

Naru was panting as she crested the final hill. The run from the house to the bridge wasn't terribly long, but she'd only just woken up, and hadn't eaten yet, so she was feeling the strain as the bridge came into view. Or, at least, part of it came into view. A thick fog bank covered a large section of the bridge, and there was a shiny dome-like structure a little further in. Naru kept on running through her confusion, spotting a flash of pink through the mist.

The air was cold from the moisture, but she sped into the fog regardless. "Sakura! Where are you?" She called blindly. "Here!" A call sounded out of the mist. Sakura's red outfit came into view and Naru skidded to a halt, flicking the staff from it's holster into her hand and extending it in one smooth motion.

"What's going on?"

Sakura was visibly shaking, and spoke in short breaths. "Zabuza showed up... Attacked Kakashi-Sensei... Sasuke's fighting one of his accomplices..."

Naru nodded, realizing what that dome was. "Right. Can you handle Tazuna on your own?" She nodded shakily. "Good. I'll go help Sasuke. You stay here."

The dome turned out to be ice, which melted before her eyes as the fog thinned. There were two figures that appeared from where the dome had been. One standing, the other...

Naru froze in mid-stride. A feeling of terrible cold washed over her as she recognized the blue shirt the prone figure was wearing. _Sasuke..._ A part of her mind seemed to falter, fumbling for something that was no longer there. Like looking into a hole that ran deep into nothingness.

"No..." A whisper in the wind was all that escaped her. Time seemed to stretch, the figure standing over Sasuke slowing to a crawl as it turned. Naru felt the bottom of her stomach drop out. Sasuke had become a good friend in the few months that Team 7 had been in circulation. Almost all of his formerly pompous attitude had up and vanished in that time, and now...

"No!" This time, it was a shout. Something deep inside Naru stirred, and suddenly the weariness she'd felt that morning vanished as a hot surge of power flashed into her veins from her navel. Kyuubi's presence twitched in her mind, and she let loose an angry growl as red chakra started to leak from her skin. The metallic blue staff, a gift from another good friend, clinked as it hit the ground, forgotten.

"**NO!"** Time snapped back into it's normal pace as Naru leaped forward, snarling fiercely. The Mist-nin didn't turn fast enough, and Naru's fist sent him flying into the rail, where he slumped, the mask cracking and falling from his face.

Naru wasn't looking though. Sasuke's body was cold, and there were so many needles... Tears welled up in her eyes as she pointlessly pulled a few out of his neck. His eyes were closed, and the corner of his mouth was pulled up into a tiny smirk...

A small groan from the enemy ninja drew her attention away from her friend, and she let out an angry roar as she threw herself at the dazed figure, who looked up just in time to see the strike coming...

* * *

A sudden roar made both Jonin falter in their battle. Kakashi took the opportunity to strike, but in the back of his mind, he feared the worst. _She's never used this much of the demon's power before... This is bad..._

He pulled a scroll from his vest, cutting a finger and flipping through a series of seals faster than he ever had before, slamming it into the ground as he shunted his chakra into it. "**Doton: Tracking Fang Jutsu!**"

Immediately, the ground around Zabuza's feet buckling as a pack of dogs burst through it, latching onto their prey. "Caught you..."

* * *

Naru's hand froze mere inches from the nin's face. It was the girl from the forest, Haku. She stared up into Naru's eyes, unafraid. "Do your job, Kazama Naru of Konoha." She said calmly, coughing slightly. "My leg is broken. Finish me, and protect your precious people..." Her voice wavered slightly as she spoke those words, and there was a slight glint in her eyes that told Naru everything and nothing at the same time. 

Naru bit back her anger, reigning in her emotions just long enough to think clearly. Her fist snapped open, and she reached forwards, her open palm pressing against the older girl's cold forehead. As she expected, her mind's eye was flooded with new information, and a powerful feeling of love overshadowing all else. Love for her master...

A tiny noise from over the railing jarred her out of her daze. She stood and peered over the edge, her eyes widening at the sight of hundreds of ronin scaling the sides of the bridge. Her ears twitched again as they caught a fraction of a sentence from the noise. "-nd then we can kill those useless Mist rejects. There's no way the two of them can deal with all of us..."

There was too much going on for her mind to cope. The sounds of the ronin. The new emotions and thoughts from Haku. Sasuke...

Her ears suddenly picked up another sound, and this one cleared up her thoughts in an instant. "Tell them it's a trap." She said quickly, before blurring into motion, running towards a small blue light in the lifting fog, and the sound of a thousand angry birds...

* * *

Kakashi held the chirping **Raikiri** in his hand, smirking slightly at the look in the nukenin's eyes. "Goodbye, Demon of the Bloody Mist." 

And with that, he charged.

Distantly, he heard a voice, shouting at him to stop. But he was too focused to recognize who had spoken.

The attack struck home.

A spray of blood, and it was over. Until he blinked.

His hand... Through a body...

_Blonde hair..._

"Why didn't you stop...?"

* * *

A/N: Hey. R&R like usual. Another brief glance into this AU's Kyuubi. Tell me what you think. Stay frosty. -E. Red 


	15. Anger, Sorrow

**Chapter 14: Anger, Sorrow**

Her vision blurred and wavered from the pain, but it was expected. The world tilted, but she couldn't fall. Kakashi's arm held her up. Painfully so.

"Why?" His voice sounded so distant. "What did you do?"

Her energy was leaving her in waves, and the blackness threatened to swallow her. "T-Tousan... I... L-Lo..."

Tenten stopped dead in the middle of her practice. She frowned as she felt her gut drop as she approached the last target in the group. She'd missed the center by a full inch. Glancing back at all of the other targets, she noted that this one was the only one that was off target, and she frowned deeper still. "What the heck happened with this one?" She asked aloud to nobody as she started to pull the kunai out from the wooden targets. She pulled the last one out and winced as a sudden pain flashed through her shoulder. _Huh... Guess I've been working too hard... I hope I didn't strain something..._

Naru went limp in his arms, and Kakashi caught her before she fell, wide-eyed with disbelief.. He heard a small pop as, having lost his concentration, his dogs vanished. But Zabuza didn't attack, instead retreating to the spot where he had dropped his sword, picking it up slowly in one hand. He looked like he was about to say something, but was interrupted before he could speak.

"Zabuza-sama! Gato has betrayed us!" The voice of the mist-nin's companion was abruptly cut off by the sound of a boot striking flesh.

"Be quiet, wench, or I'll finish you first." Kakashi looked up at the sound of the man's voice, and was surprised to see the largest amassed group of ronin he'd ever seen. A small man in a business suit stood at the front of the group, Zabuza's companion at his feet. "Well, it looks like you're a little beat up, Zabuza. I guess I don't need you any more. After all, what use does a man have for a broken tool?"

"I didn't think you had the spine to betray me, little man." Zabuza growled, turning his back to Kakashi. "I guess I have no reason to fight you anymore, Kakashi."

Kakashi didn't reply. He was too busy trying to remember what little medical ninjutst he'd copied over the years as he frantically tried to stop his stu... His daughter's bleeding. The wound had been largely cauterized by the heat of the attack, but it was still leaking red all over the ground. Kakashi flooded his hands with every spare ounce of chakra he had, pouring it all ino the strongest wide-angle regenerative jutsu he could recall from the long list of jutsu he'd copied over the years. _It's not working! What else? There has to be another!_ Kakashi's mind spun like a tornado as he frantically tried again, ignoring the pain and fatigue that was starting to shoot through his limbs.

He didn't notice it until he was too late. A small flicker of red chakra was all he saw before he blacked out.

* * *

**The girl's guardian doesn't have much substance to him, comparitively, but it was enough. The regenerative ninjutsu had done enough for me to take over, though I suppose I could have been a little more gentle... Regardless, however, the injury was repaired enough to stop being life-threatening, and I was able to retreat back into the seal before it could destroy me. After all, I had a promise to keep...

* * *

**

Sakura was barely holding back tears as she watched the scene unfolding before her in horror. Sasuke was dead. Naru was nearly there herself. Kakashi was unconscious from chakra exhaustion. The mist nin were surrounded by easily a hundred ronin.

And she was hiding behind a crate.

Never before had she ever felt so completely and utterly useless. All the test scores. All the book smarts. And here she was.

Hiding behind a crate. Cowering, even.

It was a massive blow to the girl's pride, but she admitted, once again, that she needed the most work out of anyone on their team. Her finger started to hurt, and she tasted blood even before she realized that she was biting herself to keep from screaming. The bridge builder was white from fear, but he knew she was his only hope of staying alive now. And when he saw the question in her eyes, he didn't even wait for her to ask it. "Go."

And go she did.

Naru was the closest, with Kakashi collapsed beside her. Sakura paused to check on both of them, allowing herself a small sigh of relief when she found steady pulses on both of their necks. She stood, turning towards the melee that was taking up the other half of the bridge, and her breath caught in her throat. Sasuke was standing, albeit on shaky legs, and pulling senbon from his skin, muttering to himself as he did so. She ran to his side, supporting him slightly as he started to falter.

"What happened, Sakura?" He asked in a raspy voice, pulling out yet another needle from his arm. Sakura gave him the ten-second version of the events of the battle, and he sighed bitterly. "My chakra's almost out... But I can watch the old man. You have to get in there and stop this."

Sakura stared at him. "M-me?"

He looked her straight in the eyes. "You can do it, Sakura. I know you can."

And suddenly, she did too. Heat flashed into her limbs, and she knew she was blushing, but it didn't matter anymore. "Right."

"Go."

And she went. The maelstrom of battle devastated the far end of the bridge, men clashing against the pair of shinobi that stood in their way. A grey blur swished through the air as the massive sword of Zabuza sliced through his foes. Sakura herself was flipping and dodging more than she ever had, even at the academy. Comparatively she wasn't doing nearly as much damage as the much larger Mist Nukenin was, but confidence flooded into her each time she nearly missed a dodge, or a clean swipe cut a line in her shirt.

"GHRAAG!" Thrumthrumthrumthrum. THUNK!

Sakura heard Zabuza's cry of pain, and missed her step. An iron rod cracked across her back, making her cry out in pain as her legs collapsed under her. A sword blade was pressed against her throat as she struggled to rise.

"Leave the wench be." Gato's voice rose above the crowd, and they relaxed slightly. "Besides. If we take her alive, we can have a little fun with her later."

* * *

Blurs. Haze. Red mist. Pain.

"-eave th- -nch -. -- -ake her -live, - -an have - little fun -ith her later."

Anger. Pain. Fight the pain. Use the anger.

Pink. Scream. Scream of pain. Pink. In pain...

"Sakura!"

Voice... Boy. Angry boy...

"Shut up, kid..."

Man's voice. Enemy... No. Not enemy. Not after.

Scent. Blood. Girl's blood.

Rage.

Sword. In ground. Take sword.

Pain! Too much pain!

No.

Fight it.

Sword heavy.

Good...

* * *

Gato was gloating. Zabuza was kneeling before him. The two women were off to the other side, but they would be dealt with later. For now, though, he would be satisfied with destroying the errant mist-nin that was glaring at him from under the points of fifty swords. "Well. My own little pet demon, trapped in a nice little cage of blades. What shall I do...?"

"I'll kill you, little man." Zabuza spat, and was rewarded with a crack across the jaw.

"Oh my. How scary..." Gato drawled, and his goons guffawed again. "But I think tha-"

That's when he exploded.

The massive cleaver slammed tip first into the cement just behind where the severed torso of the small man lay, a massive spray of gore shooting into the air and coating the ground for meters in every direction. Where the man had stood, there was now only a vision of death. Blood dripped from everywhere on... It. Crimson chakra sprayed every direction as gore dripped from her... It's face. It's eyes burned with black fire, an all-consuming rage painting itself over what should have been a beautiful face. It's right arm hung limp, dead in it's socket, a hole in it's shoulder bleeding the same black fire as it's eyes. It's left fist was closed around the hilt of the weapon.

It looked up, and two of the ronin in the group fell down, dead of a heart attack.

And then it roared.

Ronin went in every direction. Over the side of the bridge. Back down the rope ladders.

Straight up into the air.

Death reigned supreme that afternoon.

And when the last one fell, only then did the burning stop. The crimson haze faded away. The black fire receded. And bottomless blue eyes saw what she had done. Even as all her energy left her, Naru saw what she had done. And even as the world spun, and faded to black, she did the only thing she could.

She wept.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I'm beyond trying to make this chapter work. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I HATE the wave arc. Next chapter begins with renewed effort, as I FINALLY reach the arc I've been waiting for, and the one I wrote first. R&R, and Stay Frosty. -E.Red 


	16. Dreams, Reality

**Chapter 15: Dreams, Reality**

_Nine-year old Naru smiled as she collapsed onto her back._

_"I did it..." She said aloud, to nobody in particular. Tenten huffed indignantly, falling down beside her._

_"Yeah, yeah... I'm so impressed..." The older sister wouldn't admit it, but she really was. Her sibling had mastered another weapon, bringing her up to five: kunai and shuriken, the collapsable staff, nunchaku, katana and, the most recent, the iron fan. Which Tenten had yet to master herself. Kurenai had tried to teach her, as she had Naru, but the brunette simply didn't have the flexabillity to fully make use of the odd weapons._

_"Pff. You're jealous."_

_And she was._

_"Am not." Tenten gave her a small shove, and she laughed. "But still, you're at five. You know what that means." Her serious tone brought back one of their previous training sessions back into Naru's memory._

_"Ah."_

_"So what will it be?" The taller girl asked. "Are you going to be a weapons expert, like me, or not?" That was their deal, of course. Tenten would help her learn her first five weapons, but then she would have to decide if she was going to dedicate her time to weapons forms, or continue on to other aspects of her training._

_The sisters lay back on the cool grass in silence for a long time, watching the sun slowly sink beyond the treeline._

_"No."_

_Naru's sudden answer was only somewhat unexpected. Her sister nodded slowly, but let out a small sigh. "Okay." She said after a tense moment. "But don't let your training slip on anything I've taught you."_

_"Ten-chan..."_

_She shook her head. "It's alright. I knew it was coming." She flashed a bright smile over her shoulder. "Just don't forget who helped you to the top, squirt."_

_"SQUIRT!?"

* * *

_

_-lease... Wake up...

* * *

_

**The people of this world are indeed ignorant of much that happens around them. They hate, and fear, and destroy without any reason more than a strong emotional response to a miniscule thing. Indeed, in my life I have seen all the world erupt into wars over the most infantile of reasons. One group slaying another for believing in different gods. Or over land. Or even just for the fun of it.**

**It makes me sick to my stomach to know that this is meant to be the natural order of things. Empires are built to be destroyed, and minds are meant to believe in the strongest ideal they encounter. But yet, there are other, untapped resources that many pass up in favour of more... **_**Visible**_** ones.**

**As the shinobi of Konoha are so fond of saying, there is no greater power than that which comes from protecting something that is precious to you. One person's love is far more powerful than a thousand peoples hate. But humans remain blind to this, for the most part. I fear I may never know the answer...

* * *

**

_-an't die! Don't leave me here alone...

* * *

_

The memories drifted in and out of focus, lost in the grey have before her. A voice rang out suddenly, low and clear in the fog.

_**"Time to get up, kit..."**_

_"But I'm so tired..."_

_**"I know you are, love... But it's time to wake up..."**_

_"Do I have to...?"_

_**"Heh. I suppose not, but your mother is worried about you."**_

_"Oh... Okay, then..."

* * *

_

It hurt a little, at first. The light wasn't that bright, in hindsight, but it still made her almost flinch as she opened her eyes. She felt so content, laying there in the bed. Small pangs of worry and fear intruded briefly into her mind, but she mentally shrugged it off. There would be no more fighting. _Not today, at least..._

She heard a small gasp from somewhere beside her, and the light was blocked out very suddenly by a mane of unkempt brown hair and two very wet red eyes. A tiny smile crossed her lips as a tear fell and struck her cheek. "Don' cry... Kaa... San..." She slurred, ignoring the rasp in her voice. "M'okay..."

Kurenai choked on her words for a minute, emotion strangling her thoughts as a trembling hand reached up to wipe at her cheek.

"Pl'z... Don' be sa..."

The older woman let out a strangled cry as she took her daughter in her arms, holding on for dear life. "I thought I'd lost you..." She whispered.

"Don' be so... S'lly..."

Kurenai let out a nervous giggle, and Naru smiled. "See?... Tha's be'er..."

"Why does it all happen to you?" The question was meant to be silent, but she said it out loud without thinking.

"Don' 'no... Mebbe I'm lucky...?" Another tense giggle. "'M sleepy..."

"Then you rest, sweetie." Kurenai said softly, laying her back and kissing her forehead lovingly. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Naru's eyes drooped immediately after her head touched the pillow, and she sighed sluggishly. "I'luv you..." She mumbled, half asleep already.

"I love you, too." It was whispered, but she heard it. "More than you'll ever know..."

* * *

It had been a tense three weeks, for all those involved in the ordeal. Clearing the bridge and finishing it had only taken an extra day, after the cleanup from the battle, of course. Kakashi had immediately sent a messenger back to Konoha as soon as they'd chased off the few remaining members of Gato's gangs, requesting medical support and an additional team to assist with security. Two days later, Team 8 arrived, a full team of med-nins trailing behind. Kurenai had scarcely left her daughter's side since arrival, leaving five gennin under Kakashi's command. Five very _concerned_ gennin.

Luckily enough, the younger of the two mist-nin was somewhat knowledgeable of medicines, and she was able to, by and large, keep Naru stable until help arrived. Zabuza and Haku were kept under close watch, but at the end of the first week, something... Unexpected... happened.

The Sandaime left Konoha for the first time in years, and made a special trip to the Wave country. He met with the new town council, and within a day, new treaties were drawn up immediately, and Wave was officially allied with the Leaf village before nightfall of the second day of his visit. The elderly man spoke at great lengths with the two 'captured' nukenin, and when they were finished, they departed to places unknown, leaving behind only a sealed scroll with Naru's name on it.

It would be a long time before anyone learned what had gone on in that room, and what became of the misfit pair.

The Hokage left at the end of the second week, with little ceremony, and the group went into the third week with much wariness. Naru hadn't woken once, though her arm had been healed up like new, thanks in no small part to "...Whatever that medical jutsu was that Kakashi had used..."

Ignorance is bliss, as they say...

The fledgeling independance of the Wave flourished under the watchful eyes of the Konoha shinobi, who would often occupy themselves with aiding in the reconstruction and restoration of the capitol city, in order to keep busy and not worry about their small, injured friend.

Though they all would admit, at least to each other, that they missed her smile.

And at last, on the twentieth day after the encounter on the bridge, Naru had awoken. Granted, it wasn't much, as she returned to her slumber after only a minte or two, but just hearing her voice bolstered the wounded morale of both teams. The med-team was long gone, along with the Hokage, but knowing their blonde friend was at least no longer comatose did amazing things to the attitudes of all those present. It would be a week or more before she would be back to full strength, but they could wait.

And so they did...

* * *

A/N: Just felt like tagging on a little closure to the Wave arc. Fo all those who wanted both missing-nin to live, there you go. They'll be back, but I doubt they'll become central... Wait... I just got an idea...

Anyway, yeah. A little closure, then on to the next arc. Yay! Stay Frosty, all. -E. Red


	17. Self Awareness

**Chapter 16: Self-Awareness**

The week passed at an agonizingly slow rate for Naru, and she was intensely grateful when her mother finally announced that she was well enough to travel. But those seven days of bed rest had at least been... Interesting, to say the least.

How else could one describe learning to read minds?

* * *

It was frightening at first. She'd woken up the first day to the sounds of a pair of arguing Sakuras, and it had completely freaked her out. But when she opened her eyes, she saw that the pink-haired kunoichi was sitting silently in a corner, her eyes closed and her brow knitted in thought.

_"Now hold on a second..."_ The first voice was saying. _"Why did we even like him in the first place?"_

_**"Oh, shut it, you hussie."**_ The second replied scathingly.

_"Seriously, though. It was only because of all the other girls, wasn't it?"_

_**"Yep. We're that vain. Years of pining after him, and it's only because everyone else did, too."**_

_"Well, when you put it that way..."_

_**"So why are we even worried? It's not like she hasn't said she doesn't like him like that..."**_

_"You believe her?"_

_**"You don't?"**_

"Sakura?" Her voice was a little raspy from disuse, but she was loud enough to disturb her teammate from hr apparent argument.

The girl's eyes snapped open, anger flashing in them for a split second before she focused on the source of the voice. "Oh. You're awake."

"Were you just... Talking to yourself?"

Sakura twitched visibly, surprise flickering across her face. _"Oh, kami... Tell me I didn't say all of that out loud..."_

_**"No. You didn't."**_ The second Sakura voice said, distrust tainting her voice. _**"I'm positive."**_

"No. You must have been dreaming." She said aloud, looking out the nearby window to hide her expression. "You were out for a while... How are you feeling?"

Naru shook away her distraction and shifted in her bed, stretching stiff muscles and sore joints. "Like I've been in this bed for too long..." She said after a moment, and Sakura actually let out a giggle.

"Well, you'll be up and annying us all in no time, acording to the medics." Her teammate replied, standing. "I'll go get Kurenai-sensei. She's down having lunch." And with that, she dissappeared from the room.

Naru laid back in the bed, thinking back to when all the strangeness began. That day, that seemed so long ago, that she'd gotten her first kiss. Sasuke had changed after that, the cold, calculating demeanor falling away to reveal the true Sasuke, the one that had been buried when his family had been slaughtered. Then again, with Sakura. She'd been yelling at the bridge builder, but all of her anger had vanished with a single touch from Naru. And the first few residual thoughts...

"I can read minds..."

The sentence seemed absurd to Naru's ears, but the proof, as it were, was in the pudding. She'd read Sakura's thoughts that morning, and it changed everything. Taking emotions away, sensing them and changing them. Reading thoughts and, if the scene with the bow was any indication, memories. _If I'm psychic... Is it because of-_

**"Not my doing, kit."**

The familliar booming voice resonated in her head, and after a second's consideration, Naru realized that the Sakuras' argument had done the same.

_"Then how?"_

**"As far as I can tell, this is something that you have always carried with you."** The Kyuubi sounded a little disgruntled about something, but Naru decided not to pry. **"My guess is that when you started to become a woman, it was triggered, and it's only just finally emerged all the way."**

_"When I started...? What do you mean?"_

**"It is my understanding that when Humans reach a certain age range, their bodies begin a process that causes them to grow rapidly to their full adult size."**

Naru paled. _"Wait, what?"_

**"You've started puberty."**

She paled further. _"I'm... But..."_

The Kyuubi sighed heavily. **"I don't know why you're making such a fuss. It happens to every human at some point or another..."**

Truth be told, Naru didn't know why she was making a fuss either. But the frown that had appeared on her face vanished after a second when something started crawling up her arm, making her skin prickle. The tiny beetle halted it's forward progress when Naru brought it up to eye level, smiling when she recognised what kind of insect it was. _He's worried..._ "Hello, Kikai-chan. Are you my little guardian?"

_'Yes.' _The tiny feeling of confirmation startled her yet again.

"You talk?"

_'No.'_ The little bug was staring up at her from the back of her hand, and the miniscule thoughts were coming in clear as day.

"Wow... Does Shino talk to you like this?"

_'Yes.'_

"All of you? The whole hive?"

_'Yes.'_

She was about to ask another question when the door opened and Kurenai stepped through. The older woman paused for a second to look at the bug, but only smiled. "He's been watching you every day. It's kinda cute, actually..."

The blood rushed into Naru's face instantly. "Kaasan!" She exclaimed indignantly, as her mother giggled.

"Don't worry, dear. Your secret is safe with me..." She hugged her daughter as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "At least he's not the Uchiha."

"What happened?" Naru asked after a moment. "I remember... A little bit of it, but..."

Kurenai's face fell. "You saved a lot of lives, Naru-chan. It's better that you don't remember how it happened..."

**"I agree with the woman, kit."** Her resident demon's voice echoed in her head quietly. **"You did a good thing, that's all that counts..."**

Naru let her gaze drift away, not sure how to feel. It occurred to her that she could just pluck whatever information she wanted from her mother's mind, but she crushed that idea mercilessly. The thought of violating the mind of someone who loved her absolutely appalled her. Kurenai noticed the internal argument as it spilled onto Naru's face, and frowned worriedly. "What's wrong, dear?"

"I..." Naru hesitated. Should she tell her about what was happening? Surely her mother would be able to help her... But what if- _No. She wouldn't do that... _"I... Well... My, err... Little friend..." Her hand went instinctively to her navel, and she blushed. "She says... She told me... That..."

The words were hard to find, and Naru could see the worry in the older kunoichi's eyes. When she finally found the sentence she wanted, it came out as barely a whisper. "She says I'm becoming a woman..."

"What?" Kurenai exclaimed, more from the wording than the knowledge. "You're..."

"Yeah..." Naru's heart started to sink, but it was bouyed up with a huge hug only seconds later.

"My little girl is growing up!" She whispered, more to herself than anyone else, and Naru could feel both the love and concern that rolled off her mother in waves. "Oh dear..."

"I'm scared, Kaasan..."

Kurenai hugged her tighter. "I know you are, dear. It's something that everyone goes through, but change isn't always bad." _'After all, if you hadn't changed, we never would have met...'_

The thought entered Naru's mind completely unbidden and unwanted. She must have plucked it from Kurenai's mind, and that thought revolted her. She just violated the mind of the person she cared about the most! Immediately, tears formed in her eyes and she started to shake. Kurenai loosened her grip slightly and pulled back just enough to look down at Naru's face, perplexed. "What's the matter? Are you still hurting?"

Naru shook her head, looking down at the bedsheets to avoid her mother's gaze. She shook her head slightly to answer the question, but gave no further answer. _'I it about the Kyuubi again? Or-'_

Again, the tought came unwanted, and again, Naru was sickened by herself. "No, it's not about the Kyuubi!" She said, bursting into fresh tears and turning away.

Kurenai was dumbstruck. Genjutsu mastery entails complete control over your thoughts and self, so she knew she hadn't spoken that last thought out loud. "Naru-chan..." She whispered in awe, before concentrating hard on a single sentence. _'Can you hear me?'_

Naru, still looking away, nodded in shame. Kurenai was further amazed when her voice responded silently in the back of her skull. _'I didn't mean to...'_

"What?" Kurenai asked aloud. This whole revelation was getting to her. "You didn't mean to what?"

There was a pause before she managed to whisper a reply. "Invade your thoughts..."

Kurenai shook her head. "Oh, Naru... You silly thing..." Wet blue eyes looked up into calm red ones, and Kurenai planted a loving kiss on the younger girl's forehead. "I'm not mad at you. I'm amazed, yes, and maybe a little scared, but not mad. This is really quite fascinating." She gave up a calm smile, and Naru blushed a little. "You're going to be going through more changes soon enough, and this is just one that you'll have to learn to control..." She sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Imagine being able to read minds... You'd know what your opponent whas going to do even before they do it!" Naru's face brightened immediately at that thought, and Kurenai laughed at her reaction. "See? Once you can control it, it won't be so scary anymore. But for now..." She hesitated for only a split second before finishing her sentence. "I think you should stick close to me. That way you don't start accidentally reading any minds that might not want to be read."

"But what about you?" Naru asked in a small voice. "Then I'll be-"

Kurenai smiled. "I don't mind you reading my thoughts, dear. If it'll help you to gain control of this new power, then by all means, go ahead." She leaned in close and whispered the next part. "Just don't tell anyone what you see. That'll be between us girls, okay?"

Naru nodded in agreement, and was rewarded with another hug. Again, she felt nothing but love and concern from her mother, and that made her feel a little better abo-

_'I just can't loose another one... Please...'_

"Ano..." Naru didn't know if she should ask, but she felt that this was important. "What do you mean, loose another one?"

Kurenai stiffened in her arms, and she instantly knew she'd asked the wrong question. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

Kurenai's hands cupped her chin and gently pulled up her face to look into her eyes, which barely held back the sadness that Naru now felt from her. "Don't be. I told you, anything was fair game. It's my fault for not thinking properly about all this. But that is something you don't need to know... At least not now..." She pulled back after another small hug and stood up, turning towards the door. Had she not been looking, Naru would have missed the hand that twitched up to her belly and stayed there for a moment. "Now I think it's time you got up out of this bed, ne?"

Naru watched her mother bustle about the room for a moment, wondering what she had ment before she sighed, and gave up. _If it's that important, she'll tell me sooner or later..._ "Hai."

* * *

Shino was busy that morning. He had been building a playground in the city to replace the one Gato had built a warehouse on top of. He gave a slight grunt as he brought his weapon down on another log, the tempered steel neatly slicing through the dry wood with little trouble. These were the last few pieces he needed to finish the project, and he allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction as he hammered them into place. After a thorough check of the stabillity of the structures, he turned back to his tools and collected them, sheathing his blade as he did so and storing it back in it's summoning scroll.

He paused when he remembered the large crowd of people who'd been watching him work for the last few minutes. Apparently the word got out that he'd been building this place, and all the village children had dragged their parents out to see it finished. Without another thought, he grabbed a spare chunk of wood and began carving. He knew that the crowd would be getting anxious, but his somewhat hidden sense of humour couldn't resist. When he'd finished carving it, he stood and took the little sign over to the gate in the fence where the crowd was, and they eagerly (the children, at least) parted for him enough to hammer the little sign into the fence.

**Forever hope, lest all be lost... -Aburame Shino.**

He smiled another tiny smile as the kids cheered, swarming past him like a kicked over ant colony. Each of the parents took the time to thank him before they followed their children. One little girl stayed behind, however, looking nervously at him. She looked like she wanted to say something, so Shino squatted down and looked her in her tiny brown eyes. She blushed terribly, timidly reaching forward and hugging him around the neck. "T'ankyu, mister ninja, sir..." She said quietly, letting go after an instant and looking away timidly.

Shino smiled a little wider this time. He snapped his fingers in front of her face, making her jump and producing a larce lollypop out of seemingly nowhere. "You're more than welcome." He said, letting her take the sweet and enjoying the little giggles she gave in return. Her parents gave him a small bow of thanks, which he accepted graciously before turning and wandering back towards the bridge builder's house, the leaf ninja's temporary home.

Truth be told, Shino missed his home, and his family. He'd never been away for this long before in his life. But the reason for his presence far outweighed his homesickness. His face fell back into it's usual neutral mask when he thought of her again. The work helped him not to worry, as it tended to occupy his attention rather completely, but going in between jobs was always hard for him. He'd always start to worry more and more with each step. In his mind, he knew he was being irrational, and that irritated him more than anything. Rationality and logic are two things the Aburame clan take pride in, after all. But Naru...

Being the logical person he is, Shino had known early on that Naru was someone special. She'd become his closest friend at the academy, and one of only two girls who didn't think of him as 'that creepy bug kid'. It was only after their talk in the woods that he'd realized how much she truly meant to him. Logic be damned.

Aburame Shino was in love.

He'd turned the conversation over and over in his head, even after reporting what he did to his sensei (who happened to be her adoptive mother), even though he knew the situation was being dealt with. He just couldn't get those impossibly blue eyes out of his head, nor the tears they were shedding. It stayed with him for days, and, though he had the answer after only a few hours of pondering, he'd refused to admit it for several more days, until someone finally intervened.

* * *

_"Shino?" His mother's voice startled him from his thoughts, and he looked up from the dishes he was supposed to be washing. "Are you alright, sweetie? You've been a little... Distracted, as of late..."_

_Shino thought for a moment on the best way to answer, and decided to say what he thought plainly. "I believe... That I am in love, mother."_

_She seemed a little startled at such a simple statement. "What?" Shino began to repeat himself, but his mother shook her head. "No, I mean... Well... When did you realize this?"_

_"Only just recently..."_

_"Well then... Why does that bother you?"_

_Shino shifted uncomfortably. "I... I am not sure how to proceed."_

_Her concern was quickly replaced with something else entirely, somewhere between amusement and encouragement. "Have you told her yet?"_

_"No."_

_The flat reply didn't deter her at all. "Okay, well that's step one... Technically step two, after admission, but still..."_

_"But..." That definitely threw her off. He was very seldom caught at a loss for words, and she knew it. "I... She..."_

_"You're worried about how she'll react." He nodded slowly, and looked away, blushing. His mother actually laughed. "Oh, dear. Any girl worth your time would be thrilled to hear such a thing." She gave him a knowing smile and turned to leave the kitchen, stopping at the door for a moment. "And I think Naru-chan would agree with me, too."

* * *

_

_"-an would agree with me, too."_

Naru shuddered as another partial memory invaded her mindscape. She heard a familliar voice and shut her mind like a trap, feeling sick again. She didn't want to hear her friend's thoughts! As revealing as they were, she was learning things that she never wanted to know about her friends, including the fact that Kiba thought she had a cute butt, and Hinata was still hung up on her little problem from back in the academy.

But this third memory came from someone she immediately wondered if she was ready to face. Someone she was sure she wouldn't be able to keep her mind out of.

Someone who froze in the doorway when he saw her sitting there, eating her breakfast.

"G-good morn-ning... Shino-kun..." Naru managed to stammer, staring downwards.

"Good morning, Naru-chan." He said quietly, moving to sit across from her. Naru heard a few very distinctive clicks and saw his hand place his glasses on the table in front of him, and she felt the blood rise into her cheeks. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes..."

She caught his tiny sigh of relief, and flushed an even deeper shade of crimson. "That is good. I was concerned when I learned of your injuries. But I am glad you will recover fully."

There was a pause, and she heard him cough a tiny cough. "Err... I was wondering if I might ask you a question, Naru-chan?"

"S-sure..." The hesitation in his voice made her look up, and eye contact with those familliar grey orbs made her heart skip a beat as he cocked his head to one side slightly, drawing breath to ask his question with.

"I think I am in love. Would you care to help me with my-" Shino never got to finish.

Naru fainted before he could.

And that was only the first day...

* * *

A/N: Ah! Greetings again! I've decided, in true Naruto spirit, to throw in an unnecissarily long filler arc while I sort out my thoughts and get ready for the next main story arc! Truly a masterful tribute to the man himself, ne? Seriously, though, don't worry about it. I'm using this arc to do a few things, including revealing more of Naru's childhood to y'all, so don't be concerned about the quality slipping. It won't. So, R&R as always, and... Well... You should know what I'm gonna put here by now. (If you do, tack it onto your reviews and make me proud!) -E. Red 


	18. Self Assessment

**Chapter 17: Self-Assessment**

When she woke up, she was back in her bed, a painful bump throbbing on the back of her head. Kurenai was seated in the far corner, snoring almost imperceptibly from her lookout position, and Naru suppressed the giggle that threatened to escape her. The small clock on the wall told her it was early the next day, so she slipped silently out of the room, being careful not to trip on the nightgown someone (probably her mother) had changed her into, and made her way downstairs.

Kiba was sleeping in the family room, sprawled out over half of the couch and snoring loud enough to wake the dead, with Akamaru laying on his chest as it rose and fell with each breath. The little puppy's head perked up when she passed the door, and by the time she sat down on the rear porch, he was right there beside her, nuzzling gently into her lap and giving her fingers a tiny nip of affection.

Watching the stars with Akamaru in her lap provided Naru with the necissary time she needed to fully process what had happened the day before.

_"I think I am in love..."_

A tiny shiver traced it's way down her spine, and Akamaru looked up at her with a concerned whine. "It's nothing..." She said quietly, scratching behind his ears. "Don't worry about me..."

"But we all will anyway, Naru." The voice made her jump, and Akamaru gave a surprised yip, forcing her to settle down or dump the poor dog off of her lap. Kakashi sat down on the step next to her, obviously grinning beneath his mask. "How do you feel?"

"I'm not sure..." She replied quietly, shifting away from him.

His monocular gaze grew questioning, but the discomfort was obvious in her face. "Oh. I see..." He said quietly, moving closer. "Kurenai told me about your... Newest talent." He said reassuringly, reaching out and pulling her in close to him. "My mind is like an open book. Just don't repeat whatever you read."

She looked up into his eye, feeling a happy warmth spread through her chest at his support, and snuggled deeper into his arms, no longer afraid. "Thank you... Tousan..." She whispered, and she almost melted in his embrace when a sudden, overwhelming feeling of love and pride began to radiate out of his body.

"Anything for you, Princess." His tone was one of teasing, but he meant it. "I'm just glad you've finally woken up." A sudden twinge of guilt interrupted Naru's thoughts, and Kakashi's hand wandered ever so slightly to her right shoulder. A fragment of a memory slipped into her mind, one of anger and pain, and complete utter despair. A mass of bloody... Something, held up by it's impalement on her arm...

She shivered again, the vividness of the memory receeding as quickly as it had come. Her body gave a sudden, wracking cough, and a coppery taste filled her mouth. She swallowed the blood, not wanting to worry her newly-admitted father with it, waving off his concerned look with a small smile. They sat there together until the sun just barely began to peek up over the horizon, taking comfort in each other's presence. Naru listened as Kakashi's thoughts roiled and churned, hiding just under his outward calm. For the first time in her life, she finally realized just how complex his life could be.

But at sunrise, she saw something she really shouldn't have.

_At first, he thought he was in a butcher shop. The bridge was coated in death. There was no other way to describe it. Kakashi swayed as he rose to his feet, his body barely keeping itself together, just a step above chara exhaustion. Sasuke was there, supporting him as he stood. "What happened?" The jonin asked, staring in disbelief._

_"I... I don't know..." The young Uchiha replied. "One second, Gato's thugs were about to kill us all, and the next... Naru came in out of nowhere."_

_Kakashi gaped at the scene anew. "Naru did this?"_

The feeling of horror that punctuated the scene threw her over the edge. She stood up so quickly, she dumped Akamaru out of her lap, waking the puppy up with a yelp. "I"m going... Inside." She managed to whisper, turning away and retreating into the house.

"Naru?" Kakashi's voice followed her into the house, and she moved away faster. She didn't want him to see the tears of fear and regret that were now streaming down her face.

_I did that..._

"Huh? Naru?" Kibe woke up as she passed the family room.

_I did that..._

_**Kit...**_

"Naru!" Kakashi caught her elbow as she reached the base of the stairs, and she nearly tripped at the sudden interruption.

_I did that!_

_**Kit, calm down!**_

Kakashi took one look at the tears in his daughter's eyes and hugged her close. "Go get Kurenai." She heard him say, and heard Kiba thunder past up the stairs.

_I did that!_

"What happened?!" Kurenai's voice. She was upset...

_I did that!_

"I think she saw something... Bad. In my head." Kakashi.

_I did that!_

_**Dammit, Kit! Get a hold of yourself!**_

That was about when she fainted.

Again.

* * *

**The kitling doesn't know how well off she is. To have so many love you so unconditionally... I knew this wonder once... Too long ago now...**

**Hatred is limiting. When you hate something, it consumes you. Your focus is dominated by that hatred, and it begins to eat away at your very being. But the power of love is universally liberating. When someone gives their love to you, you feel it. From the heights of your flesh to the depths of your soul, you feel it, and you **_**know**_**. You know that there is something good there for you.**

**The kitling... She had no control over what she did, and I will explain it to her if the need arises... When the safety of the ones she loved, and the ones who loved her, was threatened... My presence was, admittedly, the cause. She fought, quite literally, like a demon to save her loved ones. Her cherished teammates...**

**I weep for those who will threaten them as she grows to control her powers...**

* * *

Shino had taken over the watch, forcing his distraught sensei to her bed. Seeing Naru lying there, shivering under her sheets... It reminded him of the day they met. The same scared little girl that had lost her way home...

She'd lost her way again.

The drone he'd left to watch over her had startled him with the revelation of it's communication with her. The Aburame clan, unbeknownst to the rest of the shinobi world, began with a low-powered psychic bloodline that was developed to it's maximum potential. The idea of using insects had united them in their cause, but the choice of which had divided them. Some, who would become the Kamizura clan of the Earth country, thought bees would be the best choice, stating that their venom and stings would be the most useful of any in battle. Others, who preceded the Aburame clan, saw the potential in the Kikai bugs, and used them instead. But both clans had originally only posessed a minor telepathy that was nearly useless in it's scope.

That Naru had 'spoken' to one of his hive...

"It would appear," He said quietly, fighting the urge to hold her trembling hand. "That there is much more to you than I expected... Naru-chan..."

The gods must have a strange sense of humor, because she stirred in her sleep right when he spoke her name, whimpering pathetically. Shino's heart lurched, and before he knew what he was doing, he had sat himself down at the head of her bed and gently pulled her into his lap. Small hands clenched at his heavy coat, but her tremors did lessen, albeit only slightly.

He feared he'd gone too far the previous night when he'd found out about the events of that morning, but even when he found out it was an unrelated incedent, the feeling never left that he had somehow contributed to the whole experience... Still...

_How should I fix this? __**Can**__ I fix this?_

* * *

Kurenai turned over in her bed, unable to sleep. Shino had forced her out of the room, completely disregarding her orders as his superior. Despite all appearancces, Shino was extraordinarily strong, and had little trouble removing her from the bedroom. But being alone in her room was just as agonizing as being with her daughter. Memories bubbled up to the surface of her mind, unbidden, and each made her feel all the more worse.

_"One of Naru's teachers spoke to me today..." Kakashi said lazily, lounging back on the porch of the house as he watched the girls practicing in the backyard._

_Kurenai looked up from her tea. "Oh? What about?"_

_"Apparently she's failing several aspects of the class, or at least nearly failing."_

_"What?" Kurenai couldn't believe it. "Why?"_

_"It seems she falls asleep in class most afternoons." The one-eyed jonin replied. "She also, apparently, isn't doing too well in her kunoichi classes, either..."_

_Kurenai huffed. "Those classes are outdated anyway... But the rest of it..."_

_"I know. It confused the hell out of me, too..." Kakashi sighed "But I'm not worried. They'd never fail the legacy of the Fourth Hokage..."_

_Kurenai glared at him. "You should be trying to help her, you lazy idiot. Relying on her name won't help her develop in the slightest."_

_Kakashi shrugged noncommittedly. "If she wants help, she'll ask."_

_Kurenai glared at him. "Come inside. I want to yell at you."_

_"Oh joy..."_

She frowned as she rolled over in her bed. She never found out what he did, or even if he did anything at all, but Naru's marks had picked up enough to pass by the next reporting period. They'd stayed consistant for the rest of her academy days, and though she'd tried on a number of occasions to offer help to her wayward daughter, Naru had politely declined each time.

"I should have tried harder..."

It sounded even more pathetic out loud.

* * *

Naru woke up slowly the second time. She'd been awake long enough to empty her stomach earlier in the night, and now she felt completely drained, physically and emotionally. But it felt a little better than it had, now that she was rested and had her wits about her. Enough, at least, to remember what she'd been taught at the academy.

_"Shinobi are required to take lives. At some point in your career, you will have to kill somebody, either to save a life, or to complete your mission." _Iruka-sensei had explained the subject at great length, and she knew, even from the fragments of memories she had available to her, that she had saved lives by... Taking action on the bridge.

It didn't help much, but at least it helped her not to cry...

_"I think that I am in love..."_

Ah. That.

A name might have helped. She had fainted before he could give her one, and now she felt a little silly at the reaction. Still, the implication... She felt her cheeks flush and rolled over. She'd probably scared him off by reacting like that, but if she laid low for a while...

She allowed herself five more minutes to gather herself before she got up and dressed quietly, slipping out her window into what appeared to be the late morning sunlight. The roof was nice and warm underneath her, and it lulled her into a sort of half-sleep, her mind wandering away from her most recent problems and into her more pleasant memories. Like her birthdays... Or passing the bell test...

_"Shh! Be quiet! We're gonna get caught!"_

Naru frowned. That had been her mother's voice...

_"Oh don't be such a prude. They haven't caught us yet, have they?"_

And that had been...

_"Now let's get those clothes off, shall we?"_

* * *

The quiet morning air was shattered by an ear-splitting shriek. People looked up from their work, and children looked up from their play. All of them were puzzled by what they heard.

**"YOU DID _WHAT_ TO MY MOTHER!?"**

A/N: I did say filler _arc_. There are another 2 to 3 chapters left before the next story arc starts, and they'll tie up a few loose ends, as well as setup a few new ones. Reviews are appreciated, as always, and especially if they're of a decent length. Stay frosty, readers. -E. Red


	19. Self Adjustment

**Chapter 18: Self-Adjustment**

Kakashi sat bolt upright when he heard the scream. It wasn't a scream of fear, or pain, but it wasn't a scream of rage either... Then he realized what he'd been thinking about, and his face couldn't decide wether it should flush red or pale. "Oh, Kami..." He groaned, fighting an urge to punch himself in the head as he scrambled out of the tree he'd been dozing in.

Naru had her hands firmly clamped over her ears when he showed up, and she was counting out loud for some reason. "Naru-"

"NINE AND THREE-FIFTHS! TWELVE AND A QUARTER!" She raised her voice and screwed her eyes shut, trying to block out the voices that were giggling in her head.

"Naru, let me expl-"

"**ELEVENTY FIFTEEN! TWO! ONE BILLION, FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY SIX MILLION, FOURTEEN THOUSAND AND FIFTY-"**

He grabbed her hands, jolting her out of her count for a moment, and when she looked up in shock, he could see tears in her eyes. _I made her cry again..._ "I'm sorry..." He said, pulling her into his arms. "I should have-"

"I don't want to read minds..." Naru's tiny whisper cut him off in mid sentence.

He bit off the rest of his thought before she could pick it up. "I know... But it's a part of you, now. There's not much you can do, beyond learning to control it..."

"I don't want to know all these secrets..."

This time, he blushed. "We... Uh... We were going to tell you two... Eventually..." He paused, and when she didn't reply, he pulled back just enough to look down into her teary face, which had now flushed a deep crimson.

"It's... Okay..." She said after a minute, pausing to wipe her face on her sleeve. "I can... Feel... How much you care about... Well... So..." She trailed off, looking away in embarrassment.

It probably didn't help that this was when Kurenai decided to show up.

-----

"That's it... Relax, and let your thoughts drop away... Nothing else exists. Nothing else matters..."

Shino shook his head, continuing past the door to Naru's room. His sensei had spent the better part of the last two days locked up behind that door, speaking in low hushed tones with her daughter. He'd been very tempted to send one of his scouts in after them, but restrained himself. Some secrets should remain so, he surmised.

Still, his curiosity was second to another growing concern that clouded his thoughts. _"I believe that I am in love..."_ A few extra days of thought had the young Aburame cursing silently at himself. _In no way am I ready to make such a claim..._ He'd realized, and he'd spent a great deal of time over the past few days sitting alone and pondering the thought out. But for all his time, he had yet to find any peace, for no answer would come to him.

The door opened beside him, and Kurenai stepped out into the hallway. She paused for only the briefest of instants before closing the door behind her. "She's asleep." The red-eyed jonin said softly, a ghost of a smile passing her lips. "I think we are good to go for tomorrow. Please pass the word on when you get the chance."

Shino merely nodded, and watched his instructor descend the stairs. It would take a week or more to return home, but some small part of him knew he would be no closer to an answer then, either...

-----

They were taking it slow on the way home. Three days on the road, and they had only made it about halfway back to the village. It was slow going, and Naru could feel frustration humming beneath most of her companions moods. But that underlying frustration only made her feel worse, physically sick to her stomach.

Which, in turn, slowed down the process even more.

Kurenai was still teaching her how to lock her feelings away, and focus her mind, but someone always distracted her. Some feeling would inevitably intrude on her meditation, and she'd unwillingly follow it back to the source, only to be swept away again in the thoughts and emotions of those around her.

She had learned one thing, though. Her new abillitied seemed to be triggered by touch. Until she actually came into contact with someone, their minds were almost closed, a slight murmur in the background. But even the slightest touch made them light up like a beacon, and she coculd then 'read' them from farther away, by about fifty yards or so, getting stronger the closer they were. One particular merchant that they passed on the road had sent her into a full-blown breakdown when she brushed past him and saw the most horrifying image of a number of little girls... Not that she could do anything about it.

Her mother did dissappear for a number of hours that night, though, after she'd calmed down a bit and started to doze off.

But progress was made, nonetheless. Naru's teammates gave her a wide berth at the request of their teachers, Shino and Kiba leading the pack with Sasuke, Sakura and Hinata trailing behind. Though, at some point in the trip, Naru had contact with each of them, enough to know how they were all really feeling about the whole situation.

Shino and Kiba were easy. Having know and been friends with them since very close to the beginning, they were understandibly concerned about her. Kiba was both concerned and more than a little angry, but somehow she could feel tat the anger was directed elsewhere, and not at her situation. Shino... Well... He was, admittedly, the only person she actually wanted to read, to a degree. There were a number of questions that were eating away at her attention, and she was almost desperate to have them answered.

Every time the quiet Aburame, who she considered her oldest and closest friend, would get close enough for her to focus in on with any degree of accuracy, he would turn and look at her, and her focus would break. The lightest contact with his mind would bring about not only a look, but a slight chiding feeling, ad some warm, unintelligible feeling that was buried under layers of thoughts. But she was no closer to an answer, and every such instance made her feel worse and worse. Being able to get into peoples heads could easily become addicting, she ealized, but she almost couldn't help it.

Hinata was, as always, very nervous, but Naru found that the shy Hyuuga was much better company than the rest of them. Back at the academy, they had become good friends when Naru had noticed that Hinata had been having trouble with her shuriken throwing, and had stayed late one day to help her. The quiet heiress had admitted that she was afraid to let her father down again, and that had led to one of Naru's most interesting meetings of her life...

-----

_Seven year old Naru shifted uncomfortably again under the seemingly blank stare of the Hyuuga branch members that passed her in the hall. Hinata's escort had brought the two of them to the family's ancestral home when he'd 'caught' her teaching the quiet heiress a better way to throw a shuriken._

_Said heiress was seated next to her, blind terror shining through her eyes, though the rest of her was frozen still. Naru was concerned for her new friend. She didn't have too many, after all. Most of the other kids stayed clear of her for some reason. Even after almost a year and a half at the academy, she only really had Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji. All the other girls in her class were too preoccupied with gaining the attentions of the silent Uchiha, which she thought was incredibly silly._

_Now, however, she had been 'escorted' to the mansion, and was waiting for-_

_"Send them in." The voice was slightly muffled, but it betrayed absolutely no emotion. The guard straightened slightly and pulled the door aside, allowing the pair of girls into the room. It was very sparsely furnished, with only a small table and a few sitting cushions around it. A very thin man sat at the head of the table, a few scrolls strewn on the table in front of him. His body was completely relaxed, but Naru took one look in his eyes, and she saw an intensity there that shocked her to the core. This man was completely focused on one thing at that moment._

_Her._

_"Welcome to my home, Kazama Naru." He said in a somewhat formal tone, and immediately Naru's ettiquite lessons leapt to the front of her mind._

_"Thank you for having me, Hyuuga-sama." She replied politely, bowing. The corner of the man's mouth twitched slightly, but he covered it with a nod. "Might I ask why you have asked to see me?"_

_"You might." He replied, and Naru saw Hinata twitch out of the corner of her eye. "I have been told that you have been helping my daughter in her studies."_

_Naru blinked. "Err... Yes, I have... But only today, though..."_

_He raised an eyebrow. "Indeed. Perhaps the information was exaggerated slightly in passing." He turned his gaze on Hinata, who flinched ever so slightly. "Tell me, Hinata. Have you learned something from this... Help?"_

_"Y-yes, father..." She stammered, flinching again at the hitch in her voice._

_The man smiled. It was a small, thin smile, but it wasn't a false one. "Good. It is almost time for dinner. You are excused, Hinata."_

_The girl hesitated for the briefest of instants before bowing and retreating from the room. The Hyuuga patriarch turned his gaze on her, and Naru had a distinct urge to flinch herself. "I would like to thank you, young lady."_

_"... Huh?"_

_He smiled, this time a full one. "I am glad that Hinata finally has found a friend. I worry about her sometimes."_

_"I... You... Huh?"_

_"Because of my position, I must be rather strict with her, and at times, I let myself get carried away." He said with a small sigh. "I push too hard..."_

_Naru was more than a little confused, and it must have showed, because he stopped talking and gave her a close, studying look. "When I was her age, my father was the same way with me, and the only thing that kept me going was a good friend of mine, and the fact that he looked out for me when I left these walls. That friend... Was your father."_

_Naru froze mid-fidget. "My... My father?"_

_A distant look came over the man's face as he watched some memory play back. "He was a great man. He helped me get through the hardest time in my life. And now I wonder if ou might do the same for Hinata?"_

_Naru was completely blown away. "You knew... My Father?"_

_He nodded. "He was on my Gennin team, actually."_

_"Then... Can you... Can you tell me... About him?"_

_He nodded with a small smile. "Of course-" He was suddenly cut off by a flying tackle, and he held in a laugh as she cried happy tears into his robe. "Of course..."_

-----

From that day forward, Naru had been a good friend to Hinata, and she had improved immensely from where she had been. She was, of course, still rather shy and quiet, buther ninj skills had picked up, as had her confidence. Her mind still showed slight shades of doubt, but these were fleeting, and hidden behind a stark determination that was hidden in turn behind the girl's demeanour.

Sakura stayed silent for most of the trip, a miracle in and of itself, but Naru couldn't stand to touch her thoughts. The pink-haired girl had more happening in her head at any given moment than most of the world did at any given time. Her mind was incredible, processing hundreds of thoughts at speeds that made Naru's head spin. There was also something else there... Another presence almost, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it...

But Sasuke, surprisingly, was the most reassuring of the lot of them. His mind was clear, and there were no thoughts that lead her astray when she touched his mind. For one who used to be so uptight and self-centered, Sasuke had almost completely turned around in a few scant weeks. He was the only one of the group that actively disobeyed the order they'd been given to let her be, and come to talk to her. When he spoke, he was clear, concise and polite, and there was no misdirection in his thoughts. It was one of the only things that would take her mind off how bad she felt, and after a day or so, the jonin left him be.

But, like all good things, this quiet period would have to come to an abrupt, and jarring end.

It started the morning they were supposed to arrive. Naru awoke stiff and sore, and she felt ill as they struck camp and started into the home stretch. She stayed deliberately away from everyone, even brushing Sasuke and her mother off as she walked along. It got progressively worse as the day dragged on, until finally the gates of Konoha rose in the distance.

That was when the problem really got bad.

Being in Wave's capitol had not been terribly bad, as Tazuna's house had been tucked in an out of the way corner. But as soon as they passed through the massive arch, her brain was assaulted by the thoughts of every villager in the area. It was like listening to a swarm of maddened insects, muted thoughts cascading into her head from every possible made it about three steps into the actual village before her legs gave out. Kakashi was there in a flash.

"Naru! What's wrong?"

His concern blotted out the other voices for a moment, and she latched on to it like a lifeline. "Too many... People..."

She gave one final shudder before she collapsed into unconsciousness.

-----

"...And then she collapsed. That's why we came straight here, Hokage-sama."

The old man listened silently to the two instructors, his gaze locked on the shivering blond girl currently residing in his chair. He took a long draught on his pipe and held it for a moment before letting it out with a sigh.

"I remember something like this happening to Arashi... Jiraiya could tell you more than I, but he went through about a month where he would stay alone for as long as he could stand it..." He turned away, looking out through the window. "Based on that, I suppose Naru might need some space for another few days, possibly weeks."

"Weeks?" Kurenai felt her stomach drop. "Are you sure?"

The Sandaime smiled knowingly. "Unfortunately, yes. There are no notes on her bloodline, but based on what I remember, it takes time for the new 'muscle', so to speak, to settle down, and until it does, it's going to be rather sensitive... As I said, Jiraiya would know more than I... I'll see if I can get a hold of him. Until then, however, I recommend you take her home and try to keep her calm. Dismissed."

They both bowed before Kakashi pisked up their sleeping dependant and left the office. There was silence in the room for a minute, until the Hokage snapped his fingers. Instantly, three white-clad ANBU appeared, as if from nowhere. "Find him, and bring him here. No exceptions this time." The old man said, no hint of emotion in his voice. There was no sound as the three departed, only the faintest of breezes, and they were gone.

-----

A/N: Hey, y'all. Sorry about this... I've not been having the greatest year, to be entirely honest. But here is the final filler chapter. Next chapter begins the next arc, and I've got the next five arcs planned out in their entirety on paper, so there's really only a little room for waffling. You should start seeing them on a more regular basis. Anyways, sorry again, and hope you enjoyed this final, short filler. Reviews, especially thoughtful, more-than-one-sentence ones, are greatly appreciated. Stay Frosty. -E. Red


	20. Self Allotment

A/N: Oh, Gods... I never expected to have to do this... Sigh... Stupid formatting restrictions...

"Normal Speech" **Kyuubi Speech **_Personal thoughts/Memories_ Thought-Speech

**Chapter 19: Self-Allotment**

Naru finished the final few motions of the kata with a little more snap than usual. Two weeks in the forest had been exactly what she needed. Nobody to distract her. It was perfect, actually. She'd been wanting to practice her taijutsu forms for a while, but was still apprehensive about showing it to any of her friends. Picking up a fighting style out of an old scroll wasn't exactly easy, after all, and she was more than a little embarrassed by it. Though the scroll itself had been one of the most important things she'd ever found...

She took a moment to stretch a little before starting in on her cool-down exercises. Being alone in the forest had it's high points, but it certainly was rather draining on her nerves. Well, added on to her... Other problems...

Imagine her surprise to wake up one morning to find herself bleeding from the inside. Kakashi had responded to the distress flare immediately, but he instantly turned beet red and sent off his faithful summon, Pakkun, to fetch Kurenai. Naru, of course, knew what was going on, but the shock of the event had knocked her completely off-balance.

But aside from the one intrusion, she had been completely isolated for most of the time, and it apparently worked. Even when her mother had spent the rest of the morning with her that day, Naru had to actively concentrate to get a thought out of her, which was a welcome change from the whole 'random assault' she had been experiencing.

But now, after another two weeks away, on top of the nearly two months of the mission, Naru was ready to go home.

-----

It was quiet, in the village of Konoha. Birdsong was just starting to filter out through the trees, and the shopkeepers were just beginning of thinking they might need to start getting ready for the day. One in particular was just raising the steel barrier in front of his ramen shop when he saw it. Off to the east, where the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, there was a figure seated atop a single protruding power line junction.

There was a slight breeze, making her almost waist-length blond hair shimmer as it fluttered through. Her full-length white cloak flapped along with it, and he could see what looked to be the most radiant smile he'd ever laid eyes on adorning her petite face. He himself couldn't contain a smile as recognition struck.

Kazama Naru had come home. Konoha had it's flower back.

-----

The Sandaime scowled, and the ANBU messenger gave a tiny shiver. "And he'd moved on again, I suppose?" The messenger nodded, not trusting his voice. "Double the teams. I want him here before the exam papers are in. Dismissed."

It may just have been his imagination, but the man seemed to disappear even faster than was usual for his ANBU to do. He took a long draught from his pipe and sighed. Perhaps it was time to choose a successor again...

He shook his head. "You're too old for this job, Sarutobi."

A tiny knock on his door stopped him from continuing his conversation with himself. He frowned, turning away from the window. He hadn't sensed anyone approaching his office... "Enter."

The door opened, and his tension immediately dropped away into relief. Naru stopped before him and came to attention. "Kazama Naru reporting in after extended leave, Hokage-sama." She said smartly.

The serious expression lasted about thirty seconds before she cracked and launched herself across the desk at him. The old man laughed as she hugged him tightly. "I missed you, ojisan..." She said quietly, listening to his heartbeat and smiling as she felt him return the embrace.

"I missed you too, Naru." He chuckled. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." She said, standing up and straightening her coat. She even looked much better than she had the last time he'd seen her. Two weeks alone had done her wonders for recovery. She was standing straighter, and the shaking was completely gone.

"And your... Talent?"

What do you think? She allowed herself a small smirk as the words echoed in his head. He blinked and smiled back.

"Well now... I don't suppose you've-"

Considered the practical applications of my newly acquired bloodline limit? Her smirk grew a little wider.

"..."

She managed to blush at the accusatory feeling that flickered. "Sorry... It's a little addictive, once you start using it..."

He nodded. "Your father once said something similar to me." There was a small lull in the conversation, and the Hokage straightened up. "Right. Let's get on with it, then. Give me your report."

-----

"Block! Reverse! Thrust and pivot! Put your weight into it!"

Shino grunted, stepping back under the flurry of blows that rained down upon him, barely managing to block the last few. His mother paused taking a deep breath before she relaxed with a small smile. "Good. You've adapted to the extra length nicely. I think you're ready to take it into combat."

Shino nodded, running a cloth along the length of the blade to remove the few bits of wood and grass that clung to it. "Thank you for teaching me, mother." He said quietly, putting the weapon away. "I will not let your lessons go to waste."

"I'm home!" The words drifted over the fence on the softest of breezes, and Shino froze. His mother cocked her head to one side, a tiny smirk twitches on the edge of her mouth.

"So I should expect you home... When?" She asked slyly, and was rewarded with an immediate blush and, slightly surprisingly, a muted hum of agitation. Living with the family as long as she had, one learns that the Kikai only get agitated enough to be heard when ordered, when their host is attacked, or when their host is feeling particularly strong emotions. "I'm just teasing, dear..."

Her silent son took a deep breath and shook himself once, like a wet dog. "I... Apologise, Mother."

She waved him off, taking his weapon. "Never mind that. Just behave yourself." The hum returned even as she walked away, fighting to contain her laughter.

-----

Naru was tackled almost as soon as the words left her mouth. "Naru!" Tenten literally bowled her over, and they collapsed on the floor in a heap, Naru giggling as Tenten showered her with kisses.

"Never ever ever do that again!" Tenten scolded her through her laughter. "Two months away, and they say you're coming home, and then I hear that you're gone again for another two weeks!? I nearly died!"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic." Naru giggled, and was rewarded with a sharp poke.

"Dramatic?! I'll show you dramatic!" Her sister growled and began to tickle her mercilessly. For several minutes, the sisters rampaged through the front hall and dining room, laughing and shoving before finally collapsing into a slightly more organized heap onto a massive throw pillow in the corner of the family room.

Naru snuggled into her sister's arms, blissful feelings of relief ghosting across her mind like a phantom breeze. The second heartbeat she had heard that day pounded away in her ear, strong and steady, sapping the energy out of her and making her eyes droop. She _had_ been up extra early that morning... Maybe a nap would be a good idea...

"Naru-chan?" Tenten's voice cut into the warmth of the moment.

"Hn?"

"I missed you."

"Missed you... Too..."

"Are you falling asleep?"

"Mm hmm..."

"..." There was a long quiet pause, and a hot waft of emotion tumbled over Naru's mind, too jumbled to make sense of in her half-asleep state. "I love you..." She heard finally, whispered into her ear as the color in the room faded into sleep.

I love you, too...

-----

I love you, too...

Tenten was more than a little jarred when the words rattled off the inside of her head like a ricocheting kunai. But by the time she shook herself out of the shock, Naru was long gone, snoring softly into her chest.

Truth be told, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from the older gennin's shoulders, the feeling of her little sister's breath on her arm, the warmth of her body and the silk of her loose hair. Two and a half months was the longest they'd been apart since they'd met, all those years ago.

Stroking Naru's head always elicited something like a small purr from deep in her sister's chest, and Tenten had to stifle a giggle, as she always did. In their lives, as odd a little family as the four of them were, Tenten had always enjoyed the time with Naru the most. Kurenai was always the one who saved her from her loneliness, but it was Naru that had filled that void more and more as they grew up together.

There were times, though... Times where she would look into her sister's eyes and see something there... Some horrible thought or feeling... Something that had no place being in those (usually) deep blue orbs... It had taken her a few years to recognise it, but one can hardly expect that a shinobi in training wouldn't notice these types of things.

It was fear.

The poor blond was holding back something that terrified her so much it made Tenten ache to see it. They would only be flashes, tiny glimpses into a new world, but they were always centered around the four of them, and they came and went in places that they never should have been...

Tenten frowned at the negative turn her thoughts were taking, and she felt Naru give a tiny shiver in her arms, as if she could sense the shift herself. A tiny flicker of agitation crept into her head, and she frowned again. _Did something happen to Naru that nobody told me about?_

Still, she admitted, it was good enough to have her back, safe and unharmed after all this time. _No sense fretting about it until she's ready to talk..._

A sudden yawn broke through her thoughts, and she had to suppress another giggle. It _was _her day off, and there was an adorable object of affection snuggled into her arms. She let out a small, contented sigh. Maybe a nap would be a good idea...

-----

**I cannot help bet feel worried at this latest turn of events. Being connected at the soul means that I am linked into the kitling's mind, and this latest revelation with the sister boomed through the child's subconscious like a thunderclap. The elder sibling suspects something, and there is no way that the kit won't realize it now...**

**I suppose this was bound to happen... Some secrets just aren't meant to be kept.**

-----

Kurenai's heart melted when she walked into her home to see the pair of them cuddled up together. The Hokage had mentioned that Naru had come in when she'd taken her team in for a D-ranked 'mission' that morning, but seeing her back, and all wrapped up in Tenten's arms...

Her daughters. _Hers._ She started to tear up immediately, pride swelling in her chest as she watched them. All thoughts of pity were washed from her mind by moments like this. She didn't pity these girls. She loved them. Plain and simple. A blanket appeared out of nowhere, and she took it from Kakashi with a small smile, spreading it over the dozing sisters. A camera suddenly appeared in front of her nose, and Kakashi slipped an arm around her waist and squeezed as she clicked away. Half a roll later, and the camera lay forgotten on the bedside table in the master suite of the house.

There certainly were benefits to dating one of the most enigmatic ninja in the village, Kurenai thought to herself as they lay quietly in the fading evening light. It had happened innocently enough, during one of the rougher patches of their (then) newly established life with Naru. She was still in her 'too shy to talk to anyone' phase, and Kurenai had been rather distraught about the girl's lack of confidence. Which, of course, dredged up the images of Naruto's life from before the change.

One thing led to another, and she ended up crying in Kakashi's arms late one night.

And that's where it started.

Still, there were things about him that she still didn't know about. He still hadn't taken off the mask, which irked her a little, but he said something about a family tradition, and she hadn't pressed the issue. But even now, as he was gently massaging her back, she felt... At peace.

-----

Peace, of course, that was not meant to last. Having slept away an entire day, Naru awoke the next morning just bursting with energy. And, as anyone can tell you, energy without direction can be... Unpredictable.

It was inevitable, one can surmise, that Tenten would be the first victim, simply by proximity. Naru, never spiteful or mean by nature, snitched her sister's hair ties and pins, snickering as she remembered all the times she'd argued with her over her buns. _"They're comfortable, and they keep it all out of the way!" "Yes, but why two? And you look so much better with it all down anyway!"_

Oh well. Perhaps a little harmless fun might wise her up to the whole thing.

She snickered as se turned her attention on the other two occupants of the home. What it was that made her feel so... _Schemey_ this particular morning, she couldn't say, but it felt good to be back home.

At least, it did until she opened the door to her mother's room.

And shut it just as quickly, fighting the blood rushing into her face faster than a thrown shuriken.

_Note to self: Check __**through**__ doors before opening them._

The image of two nearly nude jonin burned in her eyes, killing the mood. Nearly nude, of course, because Kakashi still had his mask on.

And that was about all.

"Ugh. I didn't need to see that..." She sighed. "Way to kill my mood..."

-----

The wind picked up even as the sun rose over the cliffs of Konoha. The morning came upon the village, and with it came the stirring of many of the villages ANBU, surging onto the rooftops like bees from a knocked over hive. This morning especially was out of the ordinary, as the normal village watch had evidently tripled overnight. But this could perhaps be best explained by the other shinobi who were out roaming the dawn.

Dozens of flitting shadows converged on Konoha from all sides, traveling at anywhere from a casual walk to high-speed tree-vaulting. Some of them had arrived at the village gates already, and were being checked and rechecked by security.

For the normally sleepy little village, hidden in the leaves, things were about to get a little... Shaken up.

-----

"And warn me about it next time, for the love of all things holy and good!"

Naru cringed slightly. Evidently Tenten had walked in on the pair of them, just as she had, looking for her things. And they hadn't told her about... Them. Not yet anyway. Kakashi sighed as he finished his rant, rubbing his temples to restart the blood flow to his troubled brain.

He looked down at her, and she stared at the ground, sufficiently chastised. Still, she could feel that he was more embarrassed than angry, and the fact that he was actually early for the team meeting was something that was potentially more interesting than anything else, at the moment.

Apparently she wasn't the only one. "Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura's voice made Naru look up. She and Sasuke had stopped well short of the bridge where they normally met, staring in abject shock. "What's the emergency?"

"Emergency?"

"Why else would you be on time?"

Naru stifled a giggle as the jonin rolled his eye. "Because I have something very important to talk to the three of you about, Sakura."

By now they had joined the pair on the bridge, and Sasuke spared a nod for Naru. "I'm glad you're feeling better." He said quietly. Naru blushed involuntarily. It was good to see him coming out of his shell, and she felt no small amount of pride knowing that she had, if unwittingly, been a part of what had helped him to turn away from the darker path he had been set on, that day almost six years ago.

-----

_Seven year old Naru smiled at the secretary as she skipped into the Hokage's office, and the young chunin smiled back. Up the stairs and across the hall, just like every other day. She stopped just short of the Sandaime's office, however, because on this particular day, his door was closed._

_She frowned. The old man always left his door open after classes got out at the academy. He knew she would come visit him, she did it every day on her way home. What was so different about today?_

_She was about to push the door open and surprise him, when a small voice from the other side stopped her._

_"...And... And he said... I had to hat him... And I needed to hate him in order to... To..."_

_Naru felt her stomach give a little wobble as she recognised the voice. She almost didn't recognise it. Sasuke never spoke like that in classes. He was always so energetic and excited to share what his big brother had taught him with anyone who would listen._

_"It's alright, Sasuke." The Hokage's voice was gentle, but there was the tiniest hint of steel behind it. "I know what this is hard for you, you don't have to say it if-"_

_"He said I had to hate him to get strong enough to kill him. And I will!"_

_-----_

Naru never forgot how he sounded that day in that office, though she never told anyone she was privy to the conversation, though she admitted to herself that the Hokage probably knew the whole time. (She had only been seven after, and not nearly a ninja yet)

But to see him now, a small, genuine smile gracing his face, made her feel great.

"-Chunin exams, and I've decided to let you all participate, if you want to."

Naru gave a twitch. "Come again?"

"Chunin Exams. Two Days. If You Want." He said slowly, emphasising each word in amusement.

"Okay, I get it." Naru huffed, and she could feel him grinning under his mask.

"And if you do decide to enter the exam, I have only three pieces of advice, and I will give them to you now, as you have today and tomorrow off to decide." He straightened up slightly, and the mood immediately got serious. "First, there is no problem that can only be solved in one way. Watch the target, analyze the angles, and take the path less traveled to stay ahead of the curve. The most obvious answer is rarely the correct one."

**ARGH! What's with the riddles!?** Naru was distracted for only an instant by... Actually, that wasn't quite Sakura's voice... She filed it away in the back of her head for later questioning.

"Second, the night is always darkest just before the dawn. Never loose sight of your goal, and never give up on yourselves or each other. There is no obstacle that the three of you cannot overcome together. I've said it before, and hopefully this is the last time I'll have to say it. Those who break the rules are trash. But those who abandon their friends are worse than trash."

"Lastly..." He trailed off, and Naru groaned internally as what he was about to say flickered into his mind. "I'm gonna bet a lot of money on you all, so don't make a fool out of me. I expect a good showing from all three of my prized students!"

And with that, and nary a word more, he vanished in a burst of smoke and a puff of wind.

-----

A/N: Heya, readers. Again, sorry for the three weeks. School stuff. Hell week, actually. Anyways, R&R, longer reviews much appreciated, and guaranteed a reply now! Hey! Doesn't that sound nice? Stay Frosty. -E. Red


	21. Self Affliction

A/N: I own surprisingly little of what is in this story. All rights go to those they belong to (I.E. Kishimoto-san)

"Normal Speech" **Kyuubi Speech **_Personal thoughts/Memories_ Thought-Speech

**Chapter 20: Self-Affliction**

Naru picked at her dinner that night. It was immaculately prepared, as it always was when her mother cooked, but even the tantalizing smells and sights couldn't calm her seemingly overactive nerves.

"Something wrong?" Naru gave a small start. Red eyes stared questioningly across the table at her. Tenten was out on a mission until the next day, and Kakashi had some assignment to do for the Hokage, so the house was unusually quiet.

"No, I... I really don't know..." She sighed. "I'm just really... Jumpy, for some reason..."

"Anything you want to talk about?" Kurenai pushed her own empty plate to one side.

"I dunno... The exams... Well..." There was a moment of silence.

"You know, if you don't feel up to it, you don't-"

"No!" Naru exclaimed, and she flinched at the responding eyebrow she got. "No, I know I'm ready for this... I just... Can't shake the feeling that something awful is about to happen."

-----

_There came a sound that was halfway between a whistle and a cry of pain, and she felt her stomach drop out of her as the trees twisted in front of her. There was the smells of blood and steel in the air, and the lingering scent of death._

_Someone had died there._

_She grasped the trunk of the tree she stood in, gulping huge breaths to steady herself. _'Where am I?' _Was all she could think for a moment, gazing around. There was something about this forest that seemed... Off._

_"Naru!" Sakura's scream startled her, and she looked down towards the source. "Help me! He's been... Bitten!"_

_Sasuke lay on the branch, his head cradled protectively in her lap._

_He wasn't breathing._

_"Kukukuku..." A chilling laugh made her freeze, even as she made to step off the branch. "A pity... I suppose the Sharingan maybe out of my reach... Perhaps the blood of my most hated opponent will have to suffice..."_

_It struck from nowhere, a long, snakelike thing with two huge fangs. Naru cried out as they sank into her shoulder, and molten steel flowed into her veins. Her muscled contracted involuntarily as she collapsed, and the last thing she heard before the blackness enveloped her was that horrible, mirthless laugh..._

_-----_

"Naru! Sweetie, wake up!"

Naru complied, screaming in pain as she did so. The feeling was gone the instant she sat up into waiting arms. Cold sweat and warm blood trickled down her back from the claw marks she'd dug into her shoulder in her sleep, and these were joined by hot tears as she felt the adrenalin crashing out of her system.

"Shhhh..." Kurenai rocked her back and forth gently, rubbing her back. "It's okay... I'm here..." And she was. Just like she always had been.

After several hour-long minutes, Naru felt the shakes slowly leave her, and she finally lifted her chin to look up into concerned red eyes. "Feel better?" Kurenai asked in a whisper. Naru managed a tiny nod. "Good..."

They sat for several more minutes before Naru finally spoke. "Why is it always me...?" She whispered, burying her face in her mother's robe as the memory of the nightmare slowly faded.

Kurenai smiled sadly, unseen by the blond. "I sometimes think that very thought, myself." She admitted quietly. The twin blue orbs turned back up to her face in shock. "But I think... I believe that you are strong enough to handle it all, and that is why it always comes down to you."

The warm flush of encouragement washed over the memory of the dream, and Naru sighed, leaning into her mother's arms. "I hope you're right..."

-----

**Truly Man is capable of many things that even Demons have trouble fathoming. Great cruelty is countered with great compassion, geat sacrifice with great gluttony. All things in balance, as it was intended in the beginning. Even so, it amazes me the lengths that some of the simplest gestures can go to aid those who require them.**

**Perhaps I have been too long away from the world...**

-----

There was no way she could tell for sure, but as she finished the final set of motions in the kata, Naru felt a smile forming. She could vividly recall that day she'd found the massive scroll, hidden behind a false floorboard in her closet. She'd gotten so excited when she'd found it. It was lucky that she opened it before she'd run off to show her mother.

_My dearest Kimiko._

_I knew you would come looking through my old room. I only hope it didn't take you too long to overcome your grief over my decision. Our child will be the saviour of the entire village, though I must die to save them._

_And to save you._

_I have completed the seal that will contain the beast. And I go tomorrow to destroy it, as soon as I have some rest to recover from the creation process. But enough of that. This scroll is my final gift to you, and to our child. This is the last remaining record of the Kazama clan Taijutsu style, Ansatsuken. It has been compiled over many generations, parts taken and adapted from a dozen different fighting styles, some from here in Konoha, some from neighbouring countries. Each generation of my clan, according to my father, is expected to contribute to the style, and this is my contribution: A written record of all that has come before me._

_There may be some holes, but I'm confident that you, and any other member of our family who may come in later generations, will be able to fill them. And perhaps, with the clan style, along with my special... Techniques... My clan can be restored to it's former glory, back before the phage... I have left a number of other scrolls, seperate from this one to keep them from all being lost. One lies at the base of Hope, another at the base of Despair. The third watches over the leaf, and the last is in the hand of the first, greatest foe. You should be able to find them easily enough, if your memory is intact._

_I left some notes for our son or daughter, about what to expect from our particular bloodline. They're in the safe, and you will be able to open it in ten years time, with my special kunai._

_It's getting late. I must rest. Tomorrow, I make history, and our child as well. Know that I love you, more than anything else in the world. And our child... Raise it well. Remember, I promised Ero-sennin to name it Naruto, if it's a boy, and I promised Hiashi to name it Hitome, if it's a girl._

_Take care, my love. I will see you again, some day..._

_Arashi._

_P.S.: Don't let our child grow up to be a pervert._

There had been numerous tear stains on the single sheet that had fallen out when the seal was broken. Naru added a few of her own. Her father... Her father had left the note, expecting that her mother would find it, and...

It took many days before she would talk to anyone again. She spent much of that week crying to herself. Of course, this was when she was nearly nine years old. Her friends wouldn't let her withdraw for too long before pulling her back.

-----

_Bang!_

_The door flew open with one firm kick, and Naru was startled out of her tears by the sight of Shino standing in her doorway, one foot raised to where it had just destroyed her door. "Sh-Shino?"_

_The normally passive boy walked over to her bed and stood, looking down at her through the dark sunglasses. He held out his hand to her. "Come with me."_

_It wasn't a command, but it wasn't exactly a request either..._

_Naru was too stunned to stop herself from taking his hand. He smiled behind his collar, the tiny tightening of his cheeks the only visiblee sign of the gesture as he gingerly lifted her up off her bed and to her feet. The skin on his hand gave off a minute buzzing sensation, and she struggled to keep the blood from rushing to her face as he gently, but firmly, towed her into the kitchen._

_They were all , Tsume, Hana, Kuro, Hinata, Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji and, of course, Shino, still holding her hand. And despite her sadness, she felt a small smile inside of her._

----

"What? He's letting you take the exams?" Tenten seemed a little upset by the news. "Our sensei made us wait a whole year!"

Naru giggled at the false anger in her sister's voice. "Well, maybe we're just better than your team is." She teased, sticking out her tongue.

"Better?!" Tenten shrieked. "I'll show you better!"

Naru was running before she even opened her mouth, laughing as hard as she dared. It was a familliar game, one that had occupied much of their childhood together. One would 'insult' the other, and a playful chase through the village would ensue.

Neither of them expected this day to be any different.

Naru laughed as she whipped around another corner at top speed, pushing her chakra into her legs to compensate for any lost momentum. Unfortunately, this act caused her to plow bodily into a young man in a dark outfit, with what appeared to be a huge gourd strapped to his back.

The pair of them tumbled end over end, landing with a slight "Oof!" In a pile of sand that appeared from seemingly looked up to apologise to the person, when, only an instant after coming to rest, the sand engulfed her arms up to her elbows and forcibly lifted her off.

Tenten skidded to a halt in time to see the young man right himself, a small, confused frown appearing on his face as the sand fell away from her sister's arms. Her sister, who had gone deathly pale for some odd reason.

The boy blinked twice, a confused look crossing his face. "Be... More careful..." He said after a moment in a quiet tone, before walking off into the village, slightly dazed.

Tenten didn't notice. She was too busy staring at her sister, whose legs gave out from under her with no warning whatsoever. "Naru?"

The scream came so suddenly... Naru'e hands clamped onto the sides of her head as she collapsed to the ground, trembling violently.

"Naru!"

Her sister's voice was so quiet against the terrible, terrible pain in her mind. Terror, sadness and anger, all combined in one endless scream of pain.

And then it went black.

-----

A/N: Ooh... I know it's short, but I did it... Next chapter begins something big. And Naru will never be the same again. R&R, and Stay Frosty. -E. Red


	22. Self Assault

A/N: I own surprisingly little of what is in this story. All rights go to those they belong to (I.E. Kishimoto-san)

"Normal Speech", **Kyuubi Speech, **_Personal thoughts/Memories,_ *_Thought-Speech*_

**Chapter 21: Self-Assault**

Naru fought back the darkness in her head, the massive smoky shadow of some unknown terror leering at her from every corner of her mind with piercing golden eyes.

_They hate you... They fear you... Freak... Monster... Demon..._

It was a horrible feeling, as if all her worst fears had come true. Poisonous thoughts oozed from the thing, terrible thoughts of hate and fear and despair. And as she trembled before the mighty thing, memories that both were and weren't hers played themselves back, mingling so closely that it was hard to distinguish between the two.

Memories of a hateful matron, screaming at him over some mess in the hallway... Memories of children, running in terror when he had only wanted to play... Memories of old men who threw bottles at him as he tried to run to school... Memories of unspeakable horrors that came to him in the night... Memories of a ninja stealing her from her bed, taking her away from the only people who'd ever loved her... Memories of a beloved uncle, the knife in his hand, emotion absent even as he brought the weapon down...

There came then a deep rumbling growl, a sound that brought fear and comfort both into her heart. From down a narrow hallway, a massive claw of violent red energy erupted, grasping at the shadowy thing with wild desperation. Claw met flesh, and the unknown terror howled with pain, sickly purple blood oozing from the rents in it's skin as the claw found hold.

The creature screeched as it was dragged down the hallway, and Naru followed in a panic, not sure what exactly was happening. A thunderous crash echoed through the halls of her mind, and she flinched as the sound seemed to pierce straight through her. The creature was pinned against the sealed gate, two claws of angry red keeping it there, ripping and tearing as it fought to get away. Incandescent bolts of blue chakra erupted from every bar of the massive gate, searing shadow and claw alike, and the room itself seemed to flex and distort as the three energies met and fought.

_**RUN, KIT!**_ A familiar, booming voice sounded out over the din. _**You have to get out of here! I will deal with this... Thing! You must wake up!**_

Naru obeyed blindly, turning away from the spectacle and taking off through the damp halls, the darkest corner of her head where all the bad things lurked. Doors of steel exploded into millions of razor sharp shards as she passed, terrible memories assaulting her as she ran away in tears.

_A thousand chirping birds... An explosion of blood... "Why didn't you stop...?"_

_Pain... A broken ankle... A strange feeling washing over his entire body..._

"_You don't have to pretend... Not like the lady last night was..."_

"_I believe I am in love..." With me...? But I... I can't... Not a real... Girl..._

She ran. And though the halls grew brighter, and the memories less painful, she kept on running.

And she kept on crying.

* * *

And then she sat up, gasping for air, tears immediately redoubling their flow. The sun was still high in the air, the summer heat beating relentlessly down on her face.

"Naru!" Her head snapped around, but the panic subsided somewhat when she recognised her sister's voice. "What happened-" Naru latched onto the offered arms, shaking like a dried leaf in the wind. "Shh... It's okay now..."

It took Tenten almost an hour to get her little sister to stop shaking. Naru's aching mind latched onto the soothing, loving thoughts in the older girl's mind like a drowning child might grasp a hunk of wood. But as she slowly calmed herself down, Naru felt something else from her sister.

Pain. Intense, physical pain.

"You're hurt!" The sobbing blond exclaimed, pushing away just enough to look her sister over. And what she saw made the tears return again.

Tenten's hands were a mess, burned and bloody from the tips of her fingers to the insides of her elbows. Tenten flinched. "It's nothing... I'll be okay..."

"Did... Did I... Do that to you?"

"It's not your fault-"

"I did!"

Bloody hands took hold of both sides of her face. Tenten stared directly into her eyes, the most serious expression she'd ever seen on her face. "Listen to me, Naru. I don't know what just happened to you, but it hurt you. I can tell. I made the choice to pick you up and move you out of sight, and I am the one who decided not to go for help. It is my fault, and mine alone, that I got hurt. Do you understand?"

Naru nodded numbly, and Tenten let her go. They sat in silence for a moment, Tenten cradling her arms to keep them off the ground. "H-how...?"

The brunette sighed. "You were leaking some kind of red chakra out of your body... These are chakra burns."

Naru's eyes widened. "B-but those are the worst kind of burn you can have!"

"I said I'll be okay-"

"No! We're going to the hospital right now, and that's final!"

And it was.

* * *

_"But... Isn't there something you can do?!"_

_"I'm sorry, but those are class four chakra burns, and the only medic in the village with the training to handle those just left on a mission for the Fire Lord. I'm afraid you're going to have to be pulled from the exam, young lady, And if Kasumi-san doesn't treat those burns soon..."_

_"What?"_

_"You may loose both of your arms..."_

Naru jerked awake, her heart pounding in her chest at the vividness of the dream. She had had a few of these in the forest, and the one just the other day, but none so clear as this. Panic gripped at her heart as she leaped off the chair she'd dozed off in. Tenten had been led into the emergency ward, but she had asked Naru to stay in the reception area, knowing her sister's aversion to hospitals. But having seen what she just saw, there was no way she was going to just sit and wait.

She pointedly ignored the looks she received as she sped through the village. She was used to them by this point in her life, both the adoring, happy looks of the present, and the hateful, angry looks of a past long since gone. She slipped into several alleyways, trying to avoid the midday rush, before finally giving up and launching herself up to rooftop level and leaping the rest of the way.

"You can't go in there, Kazama-san! The Hokage is-"

She ignored the receptionist, too.

"Ojisan! You have to-" Naru's voice died in her throat. The Hokage wasn't alone, which she had expected.

What she hadn't expected were the three samurai who pulled their katana on her when she burst through the doors. Three shining blades came to rest a mere hair's width from her neck.

"Stay you guards, please, Shogo-sama." The Hokage said calmly, raising an eyebrow at her intrusion. "I would prefer if the young lady had a chance to explain herself before you have her beheaded."

The man in front of him chuckled at the joke. "I agree, Sarutobi, old friend. Let's hear what is important enough to interrupt a meeting between the leaders of the Fire Country. Stand down, boys." The samurai wordlessly sheathed their swords.

Naru's felt the heat rise in her cheeks, and her embarrassment overrode her worry for a minute. "G-Gomenasai, Hokage-sama, Daimyo-sama. I-I didn't know..."

"That I was here?" The Daimyo said, smiling. "Ah, well, that would do it then. But what, pray tell, would be the reason for charging through the doors without listening to the poor receptionist?"

They both looked at her expectantly, and she had to duck her head to hide the blush that crept into her cheeks. "I... There was... Umm..."

"Come now, child." The Daimyo said kindly. "There is no need to be afraid. I was only teasing you."

Naru's mind whirled as she tried to formulate a coherent sentence to convey her message, until it finally saw fit to simply burst from her lips all at once.

"IWASRUNNINGANDIBUMPEDINTOTHISGUYANDTENTENCARRIEDMEAWAYANDNOWSHE'SGONNALOOSEHERHANDS!"

They stared at her. "Loose her hands?" Sarutobi said worriedly. "What are you talking about?"

Naru couldn't handle it any longer. Anguished tears burst from her eyes as her knees gave out from under her. The Sandaime was there in a flash, holding her gently. "Shhh... Hush now, dear... It'll be okay..."

"N-no! She's hurt, and there's nobody who can help her, and it's MY FAULT!" She sobbed.

"No, no. That's not what I meant..." The old man said with a small smile. "Kasumi-san went back to the hospital an hour ago for a piece of vital equipment, and she sent word that she would be delayed by an emergency treatment."

Naru blinked in disbelief. "What...?"

"She's taking care of your sister, Naru." He said calmly.

"B-but... I saw... You mean..."

"She's gonna be just fine." He smiled. "Which begs the question of why you came to me about this?"

Naru shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. Now that the adrenalin had been purged from her system, she felt extremely unnerved by the whole experience. "You were gonna... Send the doctor away with..." She trailed off, glancing at the richly dressed Daimyo.

The Hokage had to fight to keep the slight surprise off his face. _*Have you been reading minds without permission, Naru-chan?*_ He asked, directing the thought at her.

She flinched at the unexpected mental touch. _*N-not on purpose, Ojisan...*_

"Well then... Crisis averted, I suppose?" The Daimyo said cheerily, trying to break the tension. "At least now I know that my delay is doing some good."

Sarutobi nodded, standing up and helping the thoroughly embarrassed blond to her feet. "Indeed."

"A-Apologies again, Hokage-sama, Daimyo-sama. For the interruption..." Naru managed, bowing deeply.

"No worries, young lady. At the very least you've provided me a chance to ensure the efficiency of my guard detail." One of the samurai twitched, but they made no comment.

"You may go now, Naru." The Hokage said, returning to his seat. Naru made a hasty retreat, but his voice stopped her at the door. "And good luck in the exam tomorrow." A quick glance back confirmed the smile she heard in his voice, and she returned it with a slight nod.

* * *

The door closed, and Sarutobi let out a sigh. "Such a heavy sigh for so small a girl, old friend." The Daimyo observed coolly.

"I suppose." He replied, reaching for his pipe. "I care for every shinobi in my village, but Naru-chan in particular is rather close to my heart." He admitted, chewing on the end of the unlit pipe.

"Indeed." Sarutobi's eyes flickered to the pictures of her fellow Hokages, and Shogo's gaze followed the motion. His eyes locked on the picture of the Fourth, and he blinked in recognition. "Well, now I most definitely will be here. It's not every day you meet the daughter of the most famous ninja in the country's history." He smiled. "She does look ever so much like her father, doesn't she?"

"That she does, old friend... That she does..."

"She is to be in the exam, then?" The Hokage nodded. "Well, perhaps I _should_ try to make it to this one, then..."

The Sandaime raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that you were to be out of the country that week."

His counterpart shrugged, a sly smirk creeping onto his face. "Plans can change."

* * *

Tenten stared at her hands as the medic left the room, still having trouble believing what she'd just heard. But the tiny blue wisps of chakra bleeding out of her skin and into the air seemed to confirm it all.

_"I've never seen anything like it..." Kasumi, the burn specialist, whispered in disbelief._

_"What is it? What's gonna happen to my hands?" Tenten asked in a panic._

_"What? Oh! Nothing like that!" The older woman assured her. "It's just... I've never seen this reaction before..."_

_"What reaction?"_

_"Well, whoever caused these burns must have incredibly potent chakra." She said calmly, examining the fresh, pink skin of her forearms. "They've flooded your chakra coils, and... Well, I can't really explain how, but it's... Bonded to your system."_

_"What?" The whole thing was totally washing over her numb mind._

_"Well, look." She pointed at a point on her palm. A tiny blue wisp of chakra was leaking out of it. "See? You're not using it, but your coils are leaking chakra. The chakra points on your forearms have been irreversibly enlarged, and the invading chakra has attached to your own. You may notice that your chakra capacity has increased, but this constant leak might even that out. Which, unfortunately, means you'll never be much use on stealth missions unless you can learn to suppress it..."_

_"But... If I'm leaking chakra, won't I eventually... Err... Run out and... Die?"_

_She smiled. "Of course not. The loss is completely negligible." She actually chuckled. "Actually, the constant use should make your capacity grow in leaps and bounds. You should find that you can throw around a lot more ninjutsu and whatnot even after a month or so, and it'll only grow even more after that..."_

_Tenten blushed. "I... Don't really use ninjutsu..."_

_Kasumi laughed. "Well, this is as good a time as any to learn, then."_

"Tenten!" Small arms clasped around her neck as a blond blur leaped into her arms. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm-"

"Alright! I get it!" She laughed. "I'm okay! Sheesh!"

"Really?" She looked down into huge blue eyes and melted.

"I'm fine. I promise." She insisted, letting her down to the ground. "Now let's go home before the parent's find out we've been in the hospital..." Naru giggled, and everything was all right again. Tenten pulled a little on the bandages that had been wrapped around her arms as they left, hoping that the white of the gauze would hide the bright blue of the leaking chakra.

* * *

Naru snuggled down deeper into her blanket, dead tired from the confusion of the day. Her mother hadn't found out about the hospital incident, thank Kami, but that didn't stop her from feeling bad about it, no matter how many times her sister insisted that she was fine.

"Naru-chan?" Her mother's hushed voice from her door made her turn over. "Are you awake?"

"Hai..." The door slid open, and her mother crossed the room to her bed.

"Can't sleep?" She nodded, and felt a rush of warm feelings as Kurenai settled down onto the bed beside her, one hand worming it's way around her shoulder as she cuddled in, the other absently stroking her hair. "I remember how it was before my first exam..."

"Were... Were you scared?"

She smiled warmly. "Of course. You'd have to be a fool not to be, at least the first time..."

"Ano... First time?"

"You have to understand, sweetie, that it's very rare for a genin to graduate on their first time taking the exam. And even rarer for a rookie gennin to do so."

"So... I won't get promoted then..."

Slim, strong fingers lifted her chin to look into deep red eyes. "I said rare, not impossible. I expect you to put your best effort into this exam. Anything less would be both foolish and very dangerous. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "I promise."

"Good. Now try to get some rest." Her mother stood and tucked her in, kissing her forehead. "Tomorrow, you show the world what you're made of."

* * *

**V IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! V**

A/N: Yo, peeps. Here it comes. It's official. Next chapter begins the chunin exam proper. What perils lie ahead for our intrepid heroine? If you think you can guess it from the progression of canon... Well, you're not entirely wrong, I'll give you that much. Also, I've come up with three very unique twists for later (much later, more likely than not.), but I don't think they'll mesh well in the end. So I put forth a question, oh faithful readers. If I were to, say, write a trio of diverging stories at some point, each taking advantage of what I have come to believe, through much reading, to be completely unique storylines (disregarding the fact that they're diverging from a unique one in itself), would you be interested in reading one or more of them? Thanks in advance, and, as ever, Stay Frosty. -E. Red


	23. Self Betterment

"Normal Speech", **Kyuubi Speech, **_Personal thoughts/Memories,_ *_Thought-Speech*_

**Chapter 22: Self-Betterment**

It was time. The sun was just peeking in through her window as sleep fell away from her. She sat up in her bed, trying to ignore the desperate clench in her stomach. _Today... Everything changes..._

She took her time getting ready for the day, every motion of her daily routine paid special attention. Every piece of equipment checked and rechecked. She paused at her dresser after her shower, staring into it as if it would talk to her, telling her what she needed. She finally decided to try and show how serious she felt about the exams by dressing outside of her normal bright range of colour. Unlike most Konoha shinobi, she liked to rotate her wardrobe on occasion, though she was getting to the point where she wanted to find one particular style, like the rest of her peers.

She picked out a deep, forest green crop top and slipped it on over a long sleeved mesh undershirt. A pair of long mesh leggings followed, disappearing under a pair of skintight trunks, also forest green. Over this went a short skirt and a short-sleeved jacket in a deep, earthy brown, with tiny, bright orange accents. Her shuriken pouch was strapped to it's customary place on her left hip, and her kunai holster to her right. The latest addition to her arsenal, a pair of watertight scroll holsters, clipped into place onto her shuriken pouch, for ease of access, and in it was placed the message scroll from Zabuza, something that had given her great pride when she'd first read it, and the single equipment scroll that her sister had shown her how to use. In that was stored all her camping gear, a large medkit, a number of spare scrolls, and of course, her close combat weapons. Lastly, but not least, she strapped the stiff leather bracer to her right forearm, and slipped the collapsible staff into it, the dull metallic blue disappearing into the dark brown material.

It took her five extra minutes to remove the metal plate of her forehead protector and transfer it to the strip of green cloth, but as she tied it around her head and paused to look in her mirror, she felt a weight lift off her chest.

"I can do this." She said quietly, concentrating slightly as her eyes shifted back to their natural sparkling blue.

The chunin exams were upon her. And Kazama Naru was ready.

* * *

"Hey." Naru looked up and offered a small smile. Sasuke leaned up against the railing next to her. "I heard you were in the hospital yesterday. How are you feeling?"

"Better." She replied. "Sorry I didn't stick around..."

"Don't worry about it." He said, gazing off into the clouds. "You wanna talk?"

"About what?"

"Whatever it was that sent you away for two weeks. You really didn't say anything about it the other day..." He glanced over at her and frowned at the mix of guilt and worry on her face. "You don't have to tell-"

"Naru!" Sakura's voice made the blonde flinch, but she managed a weak smile. "You're back! Wow... Nice outfit."

"Hey... Thanks..." Naru sighed. "I guess we should talk before we go."

"About what?" Sakura frowned.

"You two should know that... I've changed..."

"What do you mean, changed?" Sasuke had a suspicious look on his face, and Naru had to resist the urge to check on his thoughts.

"Well... Uh... It turns out... Umm..." The blond fidgeted nervously, and her teammates shared a glance. "I... Kinda... havmmrmllrmm..." She trailed off into an incoherent mumble.

"Was that even a word?" Sakura teased lightly, and was startled by the flinch she was rewarded with. "Hey, I'm just kidding..."

"It's... Complicated..."

Sasuke's hand on her arm made her jump, and feelings of concern and acceptance flashed across her consciousness. "You can tell us, Naru."

"I'm sorry... I keep too many secrets from you guys..."

_**Careful, kit...**_

"Both of you... Know who my father is, right?" They nodded, shifting to look at her better as she shifted so as to not look at them. "Well... It turns out... He had... A Kekkei Genkai."

Sakura gasped, and Sasuke... His reaction was less pronounced, but more powerful.

"What... Kind of Kekkei Genkai?"

"I don't know what to call it. But it's... I can..." There it was again. Another moment of truth. Take the leap, or skive off easy... "I can read minds."

"Wait, what do you mean, read minds?" Sakura asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. *_Read minds as in... Secret thoughts?*_ She watched as the blond in front of her flinched and looked away in shame, and her jaw dropped. "No way..."

Sasuke saw the motion, and frowned. "What's-"

"I didn't mean too..." Her voice was shaky, and just by looking at her, he could tell she was about to cry. "It was an accident..."

Sasuke sat her down gently, a dazed Sakura sliding down against the railing on the opposite side. "Just tell us. Whatever you think you did, we're not mad at you..."

"She is." Naru whispered, and Sakura jerked like she'd been hit.

"I... I'm... Well... Only a little..." The pinkette stammered, quailing under Sasuke's sharp glare.

"Please." The last Uchiha asked, turning back. "Talk to us. We're your friends..."

"I guess... It's still hard for me to believe sometimes..." Naru said slowly, shaking her head a little to clear her thoughts. "I can... Hear... Or maybe feel... Other people. Their thoughts and emotions. And sometimes... I can take them away." Her shining blue eyes turned up towards Sasuke. "I took away your pain first. That day, in the classroom."

Sasuke felt the hair on his neck stand up. *_The kiss...* _Naru nodded. "That's right..." she said, looking away from him. "And Sakura..."

"When I was angry... With Tazuna?" She frowned. "It all just... Disappeared. for no reason at all..."

"I can control it now, though. At least a little bit." Naru continued. "That's why I spent all that time alone in the forest. Mother thinks that, with practice, my range and control will increase to the point where I don't need to touch someone to establish a link anymore. And instead of just reading and removing thoughts and feelings... I'll be able to create them."

"So... When you grabbed Haku, on the bridge..." Naru nodded before she finished her question.

The trio sat in silence for a moment. Sakura stood slowly, reaching down and pulling the much smaller blond girl to her feet before wrapping her up in a big hug. "I'm sorry..." She whispered. "We never really got along, but for all the wrong reasons... And I'm so, _so_ sorry..."

And when she let go, Sasuke stepped into her place. "You helped me... You already know how much. For that alone, I owe you a debt. But even besides that, you broke me out of my loneliness. I know your heart belongs to another-" Here, she let out a tiny gasp, and Sakura's eyebrows shot up. "-But I want you to know... That I ... Consider you family. For what it's worth..."

* * *

_*Keep going. This room is a genjutsu.* _Sakura blinked, still uneasy about the mental contact, but trusted her teammate's words. She had, after all, trusted them with a village secret. They passed by the gathered examinees without a word, climbing the last set of stairs and stopping at the door. "Kakashi-sensei?"

Their jonin instructor grinned at them. Or, he appeared to, at least. "Well, I'm glad you're all here. Now you can officially enter the exam."

"Now...?" Sakura asked. "You mean-"

"If you hadn't shown up as a team, none of you could've taken the exam."

"We all want to be here, sensei." Sakura huffed indignantly.

"Well, good. I'm kinda surprised you got past the genjutsu downstairs... Though..." His eye flickered towards Naru, and she nodded at the unasked question. "I suppose you all understand the implications of your teams newest... Asset." The three of them all nodded, identical grins appearing on all three. Kakashi felt a swell of pride in his chest. "Well, you can go in now. And remember what I said about the exam."

The team made for the door, but a hand fell on Naru's shoulder. _*Be careful, Naru. There are people in that room that might want nothing more than to hurt you. You need to stay alert*_

_*I understand, tousan...*_

"Be well, kiddo." She heard as the door closed behind her.

She immediately wished it hadn't. Tensions in the room were running high enough as it was, but the sound of the door closing brought eyes on her, and her mind reeled under the sudden assault of thoughts and emotions that flared in the room.

_Oh great, another team..._

_-is year, we're gonna-_

_**She is the one... We will have her...**_

_Blond, blue eyes, short... That must be-_

_-tupid leaves..._

_All of the rookies?! Wha-_

_SASUKEEEE!!!_

"SASUKEEEE!!!" Naru flinched as the thought and sound hit her ears at the same time. A yellow and purple blur streaked out of the nearest corner of the room, flying straight at her teammate, who rolled his eyes as Ino leaped around his neck. The former avenger rolled his eyes as the clingy girl started to spout off at the mouth, talking a million miles a minute. Her less-than-impressed teammates came over behind her, Shikamaru looking bored and Chouji occupying himself with a fresh bag of chips.

"Huh. So they made you guys do this,too. How troublesome." Shikamaru sighed, crossing his arms behind his head, looking for all the world like he wanted nothing more than to lie down and take a nap.

"It's not so bad..." Naru replied, shrugging. "At least it'll get us out of D-rank missions..."

Shikamaru frowned as he watched her eyes flicker across the room, settling on person after person, seemingly searching for someone. He almost smiled. Almost. "They're not here yet."

Naru blinked at him. "What?"

"Team eight. They're not here yet."

Her face immediately went crimson, and she stared at the ground in embarrassment. "Am I that obvious...?"

The lazy genius nodded. "Yeah, but at least he's not Sasuke." He was rewarded with a tiny "Eep!" and a glorious, radiant smile, hidden behind the deepest blush he'd ever seen. _Wow... That's pretty serious... Guess I shouldn't push this too hard..._

"Who's not Sasuke?" A new voice asked, and Naru froze. The voice belonged to Kiba, which meant...

"All three rookie teams. This is certainly unexpected..."

_He's here..._

She turned around, and looked up into his face. (Or at least, what little of it she could see...) "H-hello, Shino-kun..."

He nodded his tiny nod, and the slight tightening in his cheeks told her he was smiling. "Good morning, Naru-chan."

She almost swooned under his words.

Almost.

"H-hello, N-Naru-chan..." A tiny, nervous voice spoke up from behind the stalwart Aburame, and Naru forced herself to frown.

"I'm sorry, did someone say something?"

Hinata gave a nervous gulp and blushed as she stepped out from behind her taller teammate. "I said hello..." She repeated, a little louder and without the stutter.

Naru smiled, and hugged the Hyuuga heiress. "Good girl, Hina-chan." She said, and the dark haired girl practically glowed with joy. Naru felt comfort pounding in Hinata's veins, and she felt a little sad at that. But now was not the time or place for that. "Are you ready?" She asked plainly, lifting her friend's chin to look into her eyes. She nodded, and though there was nervousness, and a little fear, Naru could feel the truth in her thoughts. "Good."

The rest of her friends were staring at her when she let go of Hinata. "What?"

"You know, you guys are really making quite the scene."

* * *

A/N: Sorry guys. Three months on an army base with little to no internet can really put a damper on a story's progression. I'm gonna put this out there for now, and try to get back into some semblance of a routine. R&R, like usual, and, as always, Stay Frosty. -E. Red


	24. Self Belief

**Chapter 23: Self-Belief**

The older genin smiled at them as they all turned to face him. He pushed his glasses up his nose as he continued. "You're making a big scene. Probably a bad idea to do that in a room full of people that hate you."

The others glanced around nervously, but Naru's mind was already in overdrive. Something about this gennin set her on edge. She stared at the man, reaching out to touch his mind, and flinched when she found only static. _Great... I've gotta touch him..._

"So what?" Sasuke said, turning backto the silver-haired newcomer. "If we weren't supposed to be here, we wouldn't be."

"I suppose not." He laughed, scratching his head in embarrasment. "Still, better safe than sorry, no?"

"Who are you?" Naru asked outright, startling the man a little.

"I could ask the same thing." He replied, smiling a little wider. "But of course, I already know." He tapped a pouch on his belt idly. "Still, I suppose it's only polite. My name is Yakushi Kabuto, and I'm somewhat of an expert on this exam."

"How so?"

"Well... I'm kind of ashamed to admit it, but I've taken this exam six times before. This is my seventh try..."

All nine rookies stared at him. "So you're an expert... At failing the exam." Sakura said flatly, and Kabuto blushed.

"I guess you could say that. I, uh... I've got... Confidence issues..." Naru felt Hinata flinch beside her and squeezed her hand in support. "Regardless, I think I can really help you guys, and my first bit of advice is to lay low. Drawing attention to yourselves is the best way to get killed."

A hush fell over the group as those words settled. Naru felt, and saw, the spirit drain out of her friends, and her mind instantly flickered to a plan to bring it back up. _*Oh, Kami... I'm about to do something stupid...*_ The thought went out to nobody in particular, but three of her friends turned towards her as she straightened up.

"Oh, yeah?" She said loudly, plastering a huge grin on her face.

_*Oh, no...*_

_*She's not...*_

_***Hell, yeah! Tell 'em, girl!***_

"Well here's what I think of all you people!" The staff popped to full length in an instant, and she slammed the butt of it against the floor, the angry "CLANG" bringing a strained silence over the room. "My name is Kazama Naru, and if you've got a problem with me, then the line starts right here!"

The tension in the room shot up instantly, and she almost quailed under the immense onslaught of raw emotion. But behind her, she felt support from her friends, and knew she'd accomplished her intention. Something in her head clicked into place, and she felt her spirits rise along with her friends.

A solid 'clack' sounded in the otherwise silent room, and the tension sprang up again. a small movement from behind her told her that her friends had taken up positions on her flanks.

A small "Ahem." Sounded from behind her. "Fighting is not allowed during the exams unless otherwise stated by accredited exam personnel." A hand fell on her shoulder. "So I suggest-"

She heard nothing more from his mouth.

His mind, however...

And what a mind it was. In the two months since her bloodline had manifest, she'd touched many minds, some involuntarily, some not. All interesting in their own way. But this mind...

The touch was gone in seconds, but it was more than enough. Cold sweat immediately burst from her body, and she shivered involuntarily. There was no time to ponder the results, though, as the front of the room burst into smoke an instant later.

"Alright, you maggots! Listen up!" The smoke cleared, and a tall jonin in a bandanna and a trenchcoat stood at the head of the class, flanked by a large number of chunin. (She could tell by their uniforms. One of the benefits of being raised by a pair of prominent jonin.) "There will be no fighting during this exam unless _I _say so. Do you understand me?"

There was a small, murmured response, and the man frowned. "I guess that'll have to do. Right, get in line you bunch of ingrates, and let's get this thing started."

The lineup, it turns out, was to determine the examinees' positions in the classroom, which didn't do anything toto quiet the now rather agitated crowd. The scary looking jonin frowned at her as she took her random seat.

It was a written exam. Naru felt her heart jump into her throat as the chunin examiners placed the pages face down in front of the gennin candidates. _*Oh, no...*_

*_Calm down, Naru*_ She flinched, embarrassed, as Sasuke's thoughts touched hers. _*As long as we can do it, you can copy off of us. So stop freaking out.*_

_Holy crap... He's right..._

**I could have told you that, kit...**

_Shut up..._

The jonin, now identified as Morino Ibiki, had just finished writing the rules of the exam on the chalkboard, and she stared at them in confusion.

_*It's almost like... They expect us to cheat...* _Sakura's thoughts penetrated the general murmur, and Naru had to agree.

_*Well, we are ninja... Maybe this is a test of stealth?*_ She felt a twinge of shock, but didn't dare turn around to see her teammate's reaction.

_*Sound's about right...*_ Sasuke's voice this time, and another twinge of shock.

_*Can I just say that this is extraordinarily wierd?*_ Sakura commented, and Naru almost laughed out loud.

_*How do you think I feel? I'm the one who's relaying thoughts between the three of us.*_

_*Well... Yeah... I guess...* __***Bah! Quit complaining!***_There was an awkward pause, and Naru felt embarrassment rise from behind her. _*Err... Sorry about that...*_

"You have one hour. Begin." And with that, even the quietest murmur in the room vanished, replaced by the sound of flipping pages and then silence.

_*...There is no way a gennin could answer these questions.*_ Sasuke commented, feeling more than a little put off by the fact that he had no idea how to answer most of them. Naru had to hold in a mental snicker.

_*Yeah, they definitely want us to cheat...*_ Sakura replied. _*Though I can probably answer most of these...*_

_*Hold that thought, Sakura... I'm gonna try to get into one of the examiners heads... See if I can get the tenth question out of them...*_

It was still hard to do, at least without touching them. Naru stared at the head examiner, focusing on shutting out everything else but him. And after a few minutes, she frowned in confusion. She`d gotten a brief touch of... Something. But as she touched on his thoughts, she saw him flinch, ever so slightly, and he eyes narrowed as he peered out over the crowd.

_No freaking way..._ He'd felt her? Even just a feather light touch??

She sighed. _Well, I guess there's only one way to get what I need..._

***Careful, Kit...*** She heard Kyuubi rumble in her head.

She brought her focus back onto the head examiner, took a slow, deep breath, and lashed out with her thoughts, as hard as she could she could. The large jonin jerked like he'd been punched, and a number of those present in the room, examiners and examinees alike, looked up at him in surprise.

Naru tore her gaze away, feeling a little ashamed of herself. The man stared around the room, and she could feel a tremendous anger radiating from the jonin. It wasn't a directed anger, but she knew it was at her, and it made her heart tremble in fear.

_*The last question is a gut check. So long as we stay in the room, we pass the exam.*_ She told her teammates quietly, and she could feel the shock from both of them.

_*What did you __do__ to him?*_ Sakura's thought made her flinch, and she felt the examiner's eyes settle on her for a second before carrying on.

_*I'll... Talk about it later...*_

_*So... Wait, we don't even have to answer one of these?* _Sasuke sounded a little insulted, and she heard a page somewhere in the room flip over. _*Wake me up when this is over.*_ There was a sudden screech as a chair was pulled slightly back, and she smiled when she heard the clack of his sandals on the tabletop.

_*Oh, you're so bad...*_

_*One does one's best.*_ Less than a year ago, she never would have thought Sasuke even had a sense of humour. Now he was not only displaying it, but displaying it to the whole world.

Her teammates fell silent, leaving her to feel miserable by herself. She didn't like using her bloodline like that. Hell, she was starting to not like it at all. It really _was_ addicting, and she was becoming afraid of what that could mean for her. The head examiner was still scowling, one hand rubbing at his temples as if to ward away a headache.

She felt like dirt. Not only had she broken her own rule about not using it on a comerade (the man, after all, being a Konoha ninja) but she hadn't even stopped to think about it...

She wanted to cry, but couldn't. Not in the middle of the exam...

_**Easy, Kit... There's nothing to be ashamed of... You simply need to work on your... Finesse.**_

She grudgingly agreed with the fox's words, though she was still feeling very uncomfortable about the whole thing. She allowed herself a small sigh and flipped her own paper over before lowering her head to the desk. This would be one of the longest hours of her life...

And she was right. By the time the additional rules for the tenth question were explained, and a number of the examinees were bailing out, she was about ready to fall asleep herself. Sasuke was apparently dead to the world, his feet up on the desk and his head hanging back onto the desk behind him, snoring ever so slightly. Even Sakura was almost bored to tears, staring blankly at the chalkboard.

"Anyone else here not ready to be a chunin?" The large jonin asked, his voice holding only a slight growl.

Nobody moved. Naru could clearly feel all of her friends, from all corners of the room. Shikamaru, the lazy bum, had figured out the test immediately, and was passed out in his own chair, after having answered all the questions on his own, of course, and using his Shadow Copy Jutsu to give them to Chouji. Ino had evidently gotten the answers from someone in the room, and was doodling on the back of her test. Hinata had used her Byakugan, and it was only because of Naru's strong presence beside her (somehow, they'd been seated next to each other the whole time) that kept her in her seat, while Kiba had used Akamaru to get the answers.

Once again, even the most feathery soft touch on Shino's mind brought that very gently blocking feeling, and something like a warm mental shove.

She stopped looking when she felt her cheeks flare crimson.

"Alright. For those of you remaining in the room, you all... Pass."

The man went on to explain the true purpose of the exam, which they'd already confirmed thanks to Naru's 'special talent', making her feel uncomfortable again. They were told that the examiner for the next exam would meet them the next day outside of this building, due to a small schedule change in the exam timetable, so they were free to return to the village.

Naru hung back as the room emptied, and stood up as Ibiki, as she now knew his name to be, stopped in front of her, a small scowl on his face as he saw the guilty look on her face. "Yes?" He said gruffly, and Naru had to bite her lip to keep from trembling.

"I-I'm sorry... About your headache... Sir..." She managed, and she felt his gaze triple in intensity.

"Hn." Was all the reply she recieved.

She retreated from the room as fast as she could.

* * *

Ibiki frowned at the retreating blonde. Of course he knew who she was, it was impossible to mistake her as anything but her father's daughter. But he was stumped as to why she had felt the urge to stay behind and _apoligise_ for his headache, of all things.

"Something is very odd about that girl..." He muttered, turning her paper over. His eyes widened in shock at the blank answers. _She didn't answer a single question?! _"_Very_ odd..."

His reaction to not one, but _both_ of her teammates having similarly blank papers was much more pronounced.

And slightly bad for his general health.

The jonin lounge shook when he slammed the door open, and he went straight for the man he wanted. "What the hell is this?" He snarled, slamming the three blank exam papers on the table.

Kakashi blinked at him, glancing down at the pages. "They appear to be exam papers."

"How astute of you to notice. Those names look familliar to you?" The papers weren't blank after all. Each one was signed in the top corner.

_Cheeky kids..._"Why, they appear to be my students' exam papers. Did you not give them the test?"

"You're funny." The scarred man growled. "I want to know how."

"Well, I'm quite sure I have no idea what you're talking about..."

The argument was one of the loudest in exam history, and sent a number of experienced jonin running, either in fear of Ibiki's rage, or to laugh at Kakashi's calm comebacks, or both.

* * *

"No, you guys go ahead... I need some time to think... I'll be okay..." Naru really hoped it didn't sound as pathetic to her teammates as it did to her. But they let her be, hopefully not because of the dissappointment she felt radiating from her thoughts.

She left the area immediately, not wanting to encounter any more of her friends before she could right herself. This was not how she wanted to use her power. This was... Wrong.

It made her feel every bit the monster she remembered being called as a small boy...

She shook her head. _No. Let's not go down that slippery slope today..._

She sighed, stopping to flop onto an empty bench nearby. At least they wouldn't have to worry about the second exam until tomorrow.

* * *

A/N: Jeez... I'm done trying to finish this chapter. Take it. It's yours. Stay Frosty. -E. Red


	25. Self Benefit

**Chapter 24: Self-Benefit**

_Trees and plants everywhere. She was running. Her team was running. The forest dripped with humidity, and the branches were wet and slippery, but still they ran._

_Something was chasing them. Sasuke, bringing up the rear, was first to fall. There was a wet __crunch__, and she could no longer feel his presence in her mind._

_Sakura screamed when the thing caught up to her, as she turned to see what had happened to Sasuke. Then she, too, blinked out of existance._

_She was alone. She was tired. And she was angry._

_She stopped and turned in one motion, her hands reaching into various pockets for weapons. But the shape merely swatted her down, knocking her to the forest floor with a wet thud and a painful crunch. It circled her, a mass of twisting smoke and shadows, a disgusting mixture of hatred and lust emanating from it in waves that made her knees weak and her stomach turn._

_It laughed at her. A dry, humourless laugh that chilled her soul and made her tremble. The thing circled one more time, and then-_

* * *

She was alone. Or at least, she thought she was. A jerk and a startled oath, and she rolled off the bench onto the cooling gravel path of the park.

Naru laid on the ground for a moment, trying to force her heart to quit racing. The visions were getting worse, and she could feel... Something. Something bad, just over the horizon...

Forcing herself to sit up, she took a few deep breaths, and shook her head. _No. No sense getting all worked up about this... Not like the last time..._

It was about then that she felt it. The unmistakeable feeling of being watched, the cold tingle that shot down her spine and made her leap to her feet. "Where are you?" She spoke aloud, reaching out into the darkening park with her mind.

"Here." The voice was cold, empty. Naru spun on her heel and dropped lightly into a defensive stance, facing the direction the noise had come from.

It was the boy from the day before. The one who had run into her on the street. He stared at her from where he stood, leaning in the shadow of a tree, watching with hollow green eyes. Her mind gently brushed the edge of his, and she almost flinched when he visibly frowned at the contact.

"Who are you?" He asked, stepping forward slightly into the light.

"I could ask you the same question." She replied, fighting her urge to flinch under his gaze. "This is, after all, my home you're in."

The boy cocked his head slightly, staring for a second more before nodding slightly. "I am Sabaku No Gaara, from Suna. I am here for my chunin exam."

"Kazama Naru." Naru replied, not moving from her stance. "Why were you watching me?" She asked.

"You interest me." Gaara replied, the tone of his voice causing a small shiver to shoot up her spine. "Tell me, how is it that you live so freely? Do the villagers worship your demon?"

Naru's veins froze, and her breath caught in her chest. "W-What?"

"Or is it perhaps that they don't know...?" He trailed off, scowling.

"What do you want?" The blonde asked, shaken by his knowledge. "How do you know what I am?"

"It is none of your concern." He said, a slight growl entering his voice. "I have questions for you."

"Keep them to yourself." She replied, trying desperately to stand her ground. Something about this boy made her want to run screaming into the night.

"I will not." He scowled ever so slightly. "When you bumped into me yesterday, you not only bypassed my natural defenses, but... You did something to me. You took something from me."

"I-I didn't-"

"You did." He cut her off. "I will ask you one question, and if you fail to answer it, I will kill you." There was no uncertainty in his voice. He leaned in closer, taking a step forward. Naru's muscles tightened in anticipation of an attack. "If I touch you again, will you make him go away?"

A million and one different questions whirled around in her head as she tried to make sense of what he was asking. "I-I... Wha-"

She never got the chance to say more. Something hard and grainy clamped around her ankles and wrists, and Gaara closed the distance between them in the same instant, his right palm closing over her forehead.

She was sure she was screaming. It sounded like she was. Wind howled out of nowhere, thunderbolts crashed, and animals howled in rage, and yet... There was nothing. Her eyes went dark, her body numb. Deep within, she felt the Kyuubi roar awake, and the sickly black shadow reappeared, fear and sadness and hatred all wrapped up in a violent energy that roared back in defiance, pulsing out of her skin in angry waves.

Blazing red smashed against the shadow, and the world tilted.

And then it was over. Her eyes opened to a dark night, and to a pair of arms holding her gently. She screamed and shoved the body away, scrambling back into a lamppost, desperate to get away.

"Naru!" A voice called to her in the darkness, and her heart recognised it where her mind could not. Her eyes forced themselves open, and in an instant, all she could see were a pair of bright grey eyes, shining in the night with concern.

_Shino..._ She recognised him, and collapsed into his waiting arms, sobbing uncontrollably as he gathered her to him.

"It's okay... You're safe now... I've got you..." Comforting words drifted into her ears, and a tiny, gentle feeling of calm caressed at the edges of her mind. She was unaware that she was being carried until she heard a strangled gasp from someone nearby.

Shino took her home. He carried her halfway across the village, once again, and delivered her to her waiting mother, who appeared to be just as distraught as her daughter. And then he left, feeling the edges of his self-control beginning to fray.

The next morning, the Aburame clan would awaken to find a number of their personal training posts destroyed, some ground into sawdust, some sliced neatly into tiny chunks, and one with hundreds of fresh puncture marks. Shino was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Naru woke slowly, as was her custom. She smiled contently as the suns first few rays peeked in through her window, and rolled over in her bed sleepily, a slight hissing noise trying to lull her back to sleep.

Only to shoot straight up with a startled gasp.

Today was the start of the second exam! She had to get ready!

She showered and dressed quickly, wondering why there were only two of her uniforms hanging in her closet instead of three, but paid it no mind. After all, it wasn't every day you got the chance to become a chunin!

A full breakfast and equipment check later, and she was ready to go. She paused to straighten her forehead protector, and that was when she heard her mother step into the hallway. "Morning, Kaasan." She said with a grin, turning around.

The hissing grew louder.

It wasn't her mother behind her.

It was the shadow.

* * *

Naru awoke with a scream, tumbling out of bed and scrambling to get away from the monster that clutched at her. A monster who, after a few seconds of scrutiny, morphed into her concerned mother. "W-what...?" The distraught blond stammered incoherently.

"It's okay, sweetie..." Kurenai stated in an extremely false calm. "Come here... You're okay..." The jonin half picked up her adopted daughter, holding her close and rocking her gently, like she had so many times when she had been younger.

It took the better part of fifteen minutes to get herself calmed down enough to speak. "What... What happened to me?" She asked hesitantly, not entirely certain how she got home.

"You don't remember?" Kurenai frowned worriedly as Naru shook her head. "Shino said he found you passed out in the park. Your clothes were all ripped up and you screamed when he tried to wake you." An involuntary shiver rocked her small body, and Kurenai's red eyes locked with hers as she looked up in confusion. "Are you sure you can't remember what happened?"

"I... I'm not sure... That I want to..." An ominous feeling settled over the pair of them, and Kurenai sighed heavily.

"Maybe I should get Kakashi to pull you from the exams..."

A sharp jolt blacked out Naru's mind for an instant, and the scent of blood flashed in her nose. "No!" She shouted.

Her mother stared at her, the worried expression on her face doubling. "I-I mean... No... I can't let my team down... Not like that..."

"Sweetie, I don't think they'd think any less of you for that... Not after what you've been through these past months..."

"I know... But I can't just... Stop them like that. I _have_ to be in the exam."

Poor choice of words.

"Have to? What do you mean 'have to'?" Red eyes narrowed in the dark bedroom.

Naru's head fell, unable to keep her eyes on her mother's. "I... I have a feeling..." She said quietly, chewing on her bottom lip. "One of _those_ feelings..."

"What?"

Naru bit her lip a little harder. "I... I have to be there, or something bad is gonna happen. I can _feel_ it."

Kurenai took her daughter by the hand, making her deep, clear blue eyes rise from the floor. "Are you sure?" Documented cases of true precognition were few and far between, though there were, in fact, recorded cases. Mostly in a few rare members of the Yamanaka clan, though.

She nodded sullenly. "It's... Important." An image of fangs rose unbidden in her mind's eye, and she felt a shudder travel up her spine. "Please?"

The dark haired jonin smiled through her concern. There was nothing she could do to stop her second daughter once she decided there was something that needed to be done. "Of course."

It would be a long time before they went back to sleep.

* * *

Sakura stopped and stared when she arrived at the examination site. Not at the crowd of chunin hopefuls that seemed to have grown from the day before. Not at the huge, imposing forest or the fence that encircled it.

No, Sakura was staring at her teammate.

Naru sat against a rock, slumped forward so that her hair hung loose in front of her face. She looked, almost literally, like death warmed up. Now, Naru had never been starved for attention, her family had seen to that. But for the life of her, Sakura couldn't figure out what possible reasoning she would have had to draw so much attention to herself today, of all days.

The rose-haired girl sat down beside her teammate (and friend, though she would deny it to the bitter end), a look of concern on her face. "What happened to you?" She asked quietly, eyeing the crowd of gathered, agitated genin.

Naru shook her head with a sad smile. "Same old story…" She said quietly. "When something bad happens, it happens to me…"

A slight huff of disagreement came from above her as Sasuke stopped walking. "Story of my life." He murmured, sitting next to his teammates. He took in their moods at a glance, but only offered a gentle squeeze on Naru's knee in condolence.

It wouldn't do to stand out any more than they already did, would it?

Part of the reason she sat with her head down was what had happened the night before, but the other part was purely for the test. Her mind wandered through the gaps between the various genin in the group, picking at the surface thoughts and emotions of the stressed shinobi. Most were nervous, but a few were excited or even disturbingly aroused at the thought of a violent encounter in the forest.

But as she wandered through the crowd mentally, her mind came into contact with one that was haltingly familiar, and she blushed as she waited for Shino to shoo her out of his mind like he usually did. But he didn't. His mind, shut to her every time she had touched it, opened and enveloped her presence, stealing from her all focus on the outside world.

The quiet Aburame had one of the clearest minds she'd experienced yet, and it sang to her a song of concern, and of welcoming. And under all of that, she touched something so deep and true that it made her lose her concentration in wonder and no small amount of confusion.

Her head snapped up immediately, her eyes zeroing on the only face in the clearing that was not looking at the head examiner, who was already halfway through her introduction to the second task. The small round lenses of Shino's glasses shone in the morning sun as they locked gazes for a moment before he smiled in the subtle way she had come to recognise over the years.

Something inside her wobbled as she averted her gaze, cheeks burning with heat that seemed to gurgle up from in her chest. _As if I'm not thinking about enough today…_

But there was nothing for it. The examiner had finished her explaination, and the genin were now making their way to a small stall to sign some kind of paperwork. Sasuke accepted the scroll that was given to their team, and with little ceremony they were led to a gate a good distance from the clearing to wait for the test to begin.

"Anything to say before we start?" Sakura asked quietly, though they were alone at their gate save for their chunin guide.

Naru shook her head. "Nothing especially. Just… Let's try and stay away from that sand team… I have a bad feeling about them…"

Both of her teammates nodded, and Sasuke was about to speak when the proctor gave a small cough, pushing open the now unlocked gate. "Your second exam begins now. Good luck."

* * *

A/N: Well... I could give you all any number of excuses, but 'm not gonna do that. I'm grateful to any of you who're still here, and look forward to writing some more. I do, however, apologise for the wait. It's... Not something I planned.

Thanks for reading, drop a review, and as ever before, Stay Frosty. -E. Red


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